lamprophyre

[ lam-pruh-fahyuhr ]

nounPetrology.
  1. any dark intrusive rock in which dark minerals occur both as phenocrysts and as groundmass.

Origin of lamprophyre

1
1885–90; lampro- (<Greek lamprós clear) + -phyre

Other words from lamprophyre

  • lam·pro·phyr·ic [lam-pruh-fir-ik], /ˌlæm prəˈfɪr ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby lamprophyre

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use lamprophyre in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lamprophyre

lamprophyre

/ (ˈlæmprəˌfaɪə) /


noun
  1. any of a group of basic igneous rocks consisting of feldspathoids and ferromagnesian minerals, esp biotite: occurring as dykes and minor intrusions

Origin of lamprophyre

1
C19: from Greek lampros bright + -phyre, from porphyry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for lamprophyre

lamprophyre

[ lămprə-fīr′ ]


  1. A dark igneous rock, having a porphyritic texture in which both the phenocrysts (larger crystals) and the matrix consist primarily of pyroxene, hornblende, and biotite.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.