clast

[klast]

noun

a grain of sediment, silt, sand, gravel, etc., especially as a constituent fragment of a clastic rock formation, as distinguished from a chemical or biogenic component of such a formation.

Origin of clast

First recorded in 1950–55; probably back formation from clastic

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

clast in Science

clast

[klăst]

A rock fragment or grain resulting from the breakdown of larger rocks.

Related formsclastic adjective (klăs′tĭk)