basalt

[ buh-sawlt, bas-awlt, bey-sawlt ]

See synonyms for basalt on Thesaurus.com

noun

the dark, dense igneous rock of a lava flow or minor intrusion, composed essentially of labradorite and pyroxene and often displaying a columnar structure.

Origin of basalt

1595–1605; <Latin basaltēs, a misreading, in manuscripts of Pliny, of basanītēs<Greek basanī́tēs (líthos) touchstone, equivalent to básan(os) touchstone (ultimately <Egyptian bh̬n(w) graywacke) + -ītēs-ite¹

Other words from basalt

ba·sal·tic, ba·sal·tine [buh-sawl-tin, -tahyn], /bəˈsɔl tɪn, -taɪn/, adjective
sub·ba·sal·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use basalt in a sentence

In the valleys which we passed through, there was a large quantity of basaltic rock and most beautifully crystallized quartz.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
The first flow reached a thickness here of fully three hundred feet, and exhibits a fine development of basaltic structure.
Mount Rainier | Various
Contraction parting or jointing is often observed, being especially characteristic of the basaltic types.
Mount Rainier | Various
The black basaltic lava east of Cowlitz Glacier shows the latter structure in a striking manner.
Mount Rainier | Various
Several of these falls are split into various channels by small islands or pillars of basaltic rock.
Cruisings in the Cascades | George O. Shields

British Dictionary definitions for basalt

basalt

/ (ˈbæsɔːlt) /

noun

a fine-grained dark basic igneous rock consisting of plagioclase feldspar, a pyroxene, and olivine: the most common volcanic rock and usually extrusive: See flood basalt
a form of black unglazed pottery resembling basalt

Origin of basalt

C18: from Late Latin basaltēs, variant of basanītēs, from Greek basanitēs touchstone, from basanos, of Egyptian origin

Derived forms of basalt

basaltic, adjective

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 basalt

basalt

[ bə-sôlt′, bā′sôlt′ ]

A dark, fine-grained, igneous rock consisting mostly of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene, and sometimes olivine. Basalt makes up most of the ocean floor and is the most common type of lava. It sometimes cools into characteristic hexagonal columns, as in the Giant's Causeway in Anterim, Northern Island. It is the fine-grained equivalent of gabbro.

Cultural definitions for basalt

basalt

[ (buh-sawlt, bay-sawlt) ]

A hard, dense igneous rock that makes up much of the material in tectonic plates. The part of the Earth's crust beneath the oceans consists mainly of basalt whereas continental crust consists mainly of less dense rocks, such as granite. (See plate tectonics.)

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