conchoidal

[ kong-koid-l ]

/ kɒŋˈkɔɪd l /

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adjective Mineralogy.

noting a shell-like fracture form produced on certain minerals by a blow.

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Origin of conchoidal

First recorded in 1660–70; conchoid + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM conchoidal

con·choi·dal·ly, adverbsub·con·choi·dal, adjective

Words nearby conchoidal

conchiolin, Conchita, concho-, Conchobar, conchoid, conchoidal, conchology, Conchos, conchy, concierge, conciliar

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

How to use conchoidal in a sentence

Very compact and fine-grained reddish granular quartz, with a glistening lustre, and flat conchoidal fracture.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
I am told conchoidal white lime-stone meets it on both the east and west sides.
The Book of Curiosities|I. Platts
In the form of translucent fragments, with a highly conchoidal fracture, among the debris of the shores of Lake Pepin.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
At ordinary temperatures ebonite is hard and brittle and breaks with a well-marked conchoidal fracture.
On Laboratory Arts|Richard Threlfall

The fracture of this fossil is perfectly conchoidal, sometimes glossy, and sometimes dull on the surface.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

British Dictionary definitions for conchoidal

conchoidal

/ (kɒŋˈkɔɪdəl) /

adjective

(of the fracture of minerals and rocks) having smooth shell-shaped convex and concave surfaces

(of minerals and rocks, such as flint) having such a fracture

Derived forms of conchoidal

conchoidally, adverb

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 conchoidal

conchoidal

[ kŏng-koid′l ]

Of or relating to a mineral or rock surface that is characterized by smooth, shell-like curves. Obsidian and quartz often have conchoidal fractures.