chondrite

American  

[kon-drahyt] / ˈkɒn draɪt /

noun

1. a stony meteorite containing chondrules.

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chondrite British  

/ kɒnˈdrɪtɪk, ˈkɒndraɪt /

noun

1. a stony meteorite consisting mainly of silicate minerals in the form of chondrules Compare achondrite

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chondrite Scientific  

/ kŏn′drīt′ /

1. A stony meteorite that contains chondrules embedded in a fine matrix of the silicate minerals olivine and pyroxene. About 85 percent of all meteorites are chondrites.

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Other Word Forms

• chondritic adjective

Etymology

Origin of chondrite

First recorded in 1880–85; chondr- + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

The researchers found that Phaethon's spectrum corresponds exactly to a certain type of meteorite, the so-called CY carbonaceous chondrite.

From Science Daily • Nov. 28, 2023

Scientists with The College of New Jersey determined the 6-by-4-inch object, which weighs about 2.2 pounds, is a rare stony chondrite meteorite.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2023

Of the more than 1,000 space rocks that have been found on Earth’s surface, only five are of the this type known as a C.I. chondrite.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2022

It's called a carbonaceous chondrite, and people in the past have proposed that that's probably what hit 66 million years ago.

From Salon • May 11, 2022

And CB chondrites hold a particularly unique accolade, being the only type of chondrite for which there is near-universal agreement on how they formed.

From Scientific American • Dec. 8, 2020