breccia

American  

[brech-ee-uh, bresh-] / ˈbrɛtʃ i ə, ˈbrɛʃ- /

noun

Petrology.

1. rock composed of angular fragments of older rocks melded together.

---

breccia British  

/ ˈbrɛtʃɪə /

noun

1. a rock consisting of angular fragments embedded in a finer matrix, formed by erosion, impact, volcanic activity, etc

---

breccia Scientific  

/ brĕch′ē-ə,brĕch′ə,brĕsh′- /

1. A rock composed of angular fragments embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Breccias form from explosive volcanic ejections, the compaction of talus, or plate tectonic processes. Breccias are different from conglomerates in that the fragments they contain are angular instead of rounded.

---

Other Word Forms

• brecciated adjective

Etymology

Origin of breccia

1765–75; < Italian < Germanic; compare Old High German brecha breaking

Example Sentences

"This study revealed the importance of such breccia, which forms due to the erosion of seafloor mountains along mid-ocean ridges, as a sponge for carbon in the long-term carbon cycle."

From Science Daily • Dec. 11, 2025

Findings suggest it formed from chunks of other rocks cemented together - like broken pieces from multiple jigsaws mashed together - in what is known as breccia.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2024

It was a breccia containing a nugget of anorthosite that apparently crystallized 4.46 billion years ago.

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2022

The Pinnacles’ high peaks are mostly volcanic breccia, which is more vulnerable to crumbling, a different sort of challenge.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2022

Mr. Pengelly thinks it possible, but not proved, that the lower breccia of Kent's Cavern may be interglacial or preglacial in age.

From The Origin of the World According to Revelation and Science by Dawson, John William