diorite

[dahy-uh-rahyt]

noun

a granular igneous rock consisting essentially of plagioclase feldspar and hornblende.

Origin of diorite

1820–30; < French < Greek dior(ízein) to distinguish (see di-³, horizon) + French -ite -ite¹

Related formsdi·o·rit·ic

[dahy-uh-rit-ik] /ˌdaɪ əˈrɪt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for diorite

Historical Examples of diorite

Quartz porphyry, diabase and diorite appear in the Ardennes.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1
Various
A diorite block, found at Susa in 1902, has the law engraved on it.
The Lords of the Ghostland
Edgar Saltus
Diorite is a crystalline aggregate of a soda-felspar and hornblende.
Geology
James Geikie
What is the mineralogical composition of syenite and diorite?
Geology
James Geikie
They are in diorite, and have the name of Apepi engraved upon them.
Ancient Egypt
George Rawlinson

British Dictionary definitions for diorite

diorite

noun

a dark coarse-grained igneous plutonic rock consisting of plagioclase feldspar and ferromagnesian minerals such as hornblende

Derived Formsdioritic (ˌdaɪəˈrɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for diorite

C19: from French, from Greek diorizein to distinguish (from dia- apart + horizein to define) + -ite 1

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

diorite in Science

diorite

[dī′ə-rīt′]

A gray, coarse-grained plutonic rock. Diorite consists mainly of sodium-rich plagioclase and one or more mafic minerals such as biotite, hornblende, or pyroxene. It is the coarse-grained equivalent of andesite.