authigenic

American

[aw-thi-jen-ik] / ˌɔ θɪˈdʒɛn ɪk /

adjective

Geology.

(of a constituent of a rock) formed in the rock where it is found.

authigenic British

/ ˌɔːθɪˈdʒɛnɪk /

adjective

(of minerals) having crystallized in a sediment during or after deposition

"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

Etymology

Origin of authigenic

1885–90; < German Authigen < Greek authigenḗs native to a specific place ( aûthi there + -genēs born) + -ic; genic

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.

These isotopes helped determine whether clay minerals played a role in fossilization and whether those clays came from land, known as detrital clays, or formed directly within the seafloor, known as authigenic clays.

From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026

Fueled by silica-rich and iron-rich seawater and the unusual chemistry of Ediacaran oceans, these authigenic clays grew around the buried organisms.

From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026

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