clastic

American

[klas-tik] / ˈklæs tɪk /

adjective

Biology. breaking up into fragments or separate portions; dividing into parts.
pertaining to an anatomical model made up of detachable pieces.
Geology. noting or pertaining to rock or rocks composed of fragments or particles of older rocks or previously existing solid matter; fragmental.

clastic British

/ ˈklæstɪk /

adjective

(of sedimentary rock, etc) composed of fragments of pre-existing rock that have been transported some distance from their points of origin
biology dividing into parts

a clastic cell
able to be dismantled for study or observation

a clastic model of the brain

"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

Other Word Forms

nonclastic adjective

Etymology

Origin of clastic

1870–75; < Greek klastós broken in pieces ( klas- variant stem of klân to break + -tos verbal adjective suffix) + -ic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The clastic Flysch formation of the 662 Carpathians and northern Alps appears to be of Eocene age in the upper and Cretaceous in the lower part.

From Project Gutenberg

All were preserved in the hard calcified clastic sediment that formed at the bottom of a water of water.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023