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anorthosite

[ an-awr-thuh-sahyt ]
/ ænˈɔr θəˌsaɪt /
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noun Petrology.
a granular plutonic rock composed largely of labradorite or a more calcic feldspar.
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Origin of anorthosite

1860–65; <French anorthose anorthoclase (an-an-1 + Greek orthós straight) + -ite1

OTHER WORDS FROM anorthosite

an·or·tho·sit·ic [an-aw-thuh-sit-ik], /ænˌɔ θəˈsɪt ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use anorthosite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anorthosite

anorthosite
/ (ænˈɔːθəˌsaɪt) /

noun
a coarse-grained plutonic igneous rock consisting almost entirely of plagioclase feldspar

Word Origin for anorthosite

C19: from French anorthose (see an-, ortho-) + -ite 1
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 anorthosite

anorthosite
[ ăn-ôrthə-sīt′ ]

An igneous rock consisting almost entirely of plagioclase feldspar, especially the labradorite variety. Anorthosites have been identified among rock samples collected from the Moon.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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