dolerite

American  

[dol-uh-rahyt] / ˈdɒl əˌraɪt /

noun

Petrology.

1. a coarse-grained variety of basalt.

2. any of various other igneous rocks, as diabase.

3. any basaltlike igneous rock whose composition can be determined only by microscopic examination.

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dolerite British  

/ ˌdɒləˈrɪtɪk, ˈdɒləˌraɪt /

noun

1. a dark basic intrusive igneous rock consisting of plagioclase feldspar and a pyroxene, such as augite; often emplaced in dykes

2. any dark igneous rock whose composition cannot be determined with the naked eye

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dolerite Scientific  

/ dŏl′ə-rīt′ /

1. See diabase

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Other Word Forms

• doleritic adjective

Etymology

Origin of dolerite

1830–40; < French dolérite < Greek doler ( ós ) deceitful (derivative of dólos wile) + French -ite -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Rockfalls on a narrow rocky path that clings to the side of a giant slab of dolerite rock are, unsurprisingly, not a new issue.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

And while there are erratics in some areas, "there is no record of the very distinctive spotted dolerite used at Stonehenge", the researchers said.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2025

To celebrate the millennium, an ill-fated project, funded with £100,000 from the national lottery, attempted to re-enact the fetching of a single three-tonne dolerite bluestone from Wales to Wiltshire.

From The Guardian • Feb. 8, 2019

But that is not quite true: permanence and certainty seem to bounce off its sandstone and dolerite surfaces.

From The Guardian • Feb. 8, 2019

We were ordered to raise the dolerite over our head and slam it down against the surface of the granite.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman