cryptoclastic

American

[krip-tuh-klas-tik] / ˌkrɪp təˈklæs tɪk /

adjective

Geology.

(of rock) composed of minute or microscopic fragments.

cryptoclastic British

/ ˌkrɪptəʊˈklæstɪk /

adjective

(of minerals and rocks) composed of microscopic fragments

"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

Etymology

Origin of cryptoclastic

First recorded in 1875–80; crypto- ( def. ) + clastic ( def. ); modeled on German kryptoklastisch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023