chert

[ churt ]

/ tʃɜrt /

noun

a compact rock consisting essentially of microcrystalline quartz.

Nearby words

Origin of chert

First recorded in 1670–80; origin uncertain

Related formschert·y, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for chert

Seven specimens were of basalt and one each of chert and porphyry.
The Topanga Culture Final Report on Excavations, 1948|A. E. Treganza
Most examples from this area are made from Ft. Payne chert, which is usually patinated to a chocolate brown color.
Handbook of Alabama Archaeology: Part I Point Types|James W. Cambron
He mun ha' summut to prop his ribs out, lass, as he delves through th' chert and tood-stone.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 2, July, 1850.|Various
The materials include basalt, chert, chalcedony, and obsidian.
The Topanga Culture Final Report on Excavations, 1948|A. E. Treganza

As seen on a polished slab of chert from the sand of the Upper Oolite, Tisbury.
A Manual of Elementary Geology|Charles Lyell.

British Dictionary definitions for chert

chert

/ (tʃɜːt) /

noun

a microcrystalline form of silica usually occurring as bands or layers of pebbles in sedimentary rock. Formula: SiO 2 . Varieties include flint, lyddite (Lydian stone)Also called: hornstone

Derived Formscherty, adjective

Word Origin for chert

C17: of obscure origin

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

Word Origin and History for chert

chert

"flint-like quartz," 1670s, of unknown origin. Apparently "a local term, which has been taken into geological use" [OED].

Science definitions for chert

chert

[ chûrt ]

A hard, brittle sedimentary rock consisting of microcrystalline quartz. It is often reddish-brown to green but can also occur in a variety of other colors, especially white, pink, brown, or black. Chert often contains impurities such as calcium, iron-oxide, or the remains of silica-rich organisms. It usually occurs as nodules in limestone and dolomite and has curved fractures.