diabase

[ dahy-uh-beys ]

/ ˈdaɪ əˌbeɪs /

noun Petrology.

a fine-grained gabbro occurring as minor intrusions.

British. a dark igneous rock consisting essentially of augite and feldspar; an altered dolerite.

Nearby words

di-, di-amelia, di., dia-, dia., diabase, diabatic, diabelli, diabetes, diabetes insipidus, diabetes intermittens

Origin of diabase

1810–20; < French, equivalent to dia- (error for di- two) + base base¹

Related forms

di·a·ba·sic, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for diabase

The diabase forms the Bruxie and Leys Hills and some minor elevations.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 7|Various
While the diabase dikes are most prominent in the Newark rocks, they are also found occasionally in the other terraces.
History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County, Virginia|James W. Head
None the less, its origin as diabase can definitely be asserted of the whole mass.
History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County, Virginia|James W. Head
These are caused either by old intrusions of diabase and gabbro which have undergone modifications, or by later ones of dolerite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6|Various

The minerals of diabase are the same as those of dolerite, viz.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for diabase

diabase

/ (ˈdaɪəˌbeɪs) /

noun

British an altered dolerite

US another name for dolerite

Derived Forms

diabasic, adjective

Word Origin for diabase

C19: from French, from Greek diabasis a crossing over, from diabainein to cross over, from dia- + bainein to go

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

Science definitions for diabase

diabase

[ dī′ə-bās′ ]

A dark-gray to black, medium-grained igneous rock consisting mainly of labradorite and pyroxene. Diabase is compositionally similar to andesite, but has coarser grains. It is commonly found in sills and dikes. Also called dolerite