allochthonous

[ uh-lok-thuh-nuh s ]

/ əˈlɒk θə nəs /

adjective Geology. (of rocks, minerals, etc.)

not formed in the region where found.Compare autochthonous(def 4).

Nearby words

allocheiria, allocher, allochromasia, allochromatic, allochthon, allochthonous, allocortex, allocution, allod, allodial, allodium

Origin of allochthonous

1910–15; allo- + -chthonous, modeled after autochthonous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for allochthonous

allochthonous

/ (əˈlɒkθənəs) /

adjective

(of rocks, deposits, etc) found in a place other than where they or their constituents were formedCompare autochthonous (def. 1)

Word Origin for allochthonous

C20: from Greek allokhthon, from allo- + khthōn (genitive khthonos) earth

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