gabbro

American  

[gab-roh] / ˈgæb roʊ /

noun

Petrology.

gabbros plural

1. a dark granular igneous rock composed essentially of labradorite and augite.

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gabbro British  

/ ˈɡæbrəʊ /

noun

1. a dark coarse-grained basic plutonic igneous rock consisting of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, and often olivine

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gabbro Scientific  

/ găb′rō /

1. A usually dark, coarse-grained igneous rock composed mostly of plagioclase feldspar and clinopyroxene, and sometimes olivine. Gabbro is the coarse-grained equivalent of basalt.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gabbroitic
  adjective
• gabbroid
  adjective
• gabbroic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• gabbros
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gabbro

< Italian; akin to Latin glaber smooth

Compare meaning

How does gabbro compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gabbro vs. basalt

Example Sentences

Prior research shows that some forms of metals production from gabbro and similar rocks aren’t commercially feasible—they can be costly because of more complex and energy-intensive processes that produce a lot of waste.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

"These elements allowed us to look back through the chemical changes that TTG magmas go through and trace the melt compositions back to their initial state and source -- most likely a sort of gabbro."

From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2024

In retrospect, it is clearer now that the gabbro was never going to get along with the coring drill.

From Scientific American • Aug. 12, 2021

Pyroxenes are commonly found in mafic igneous rocks such as peridotite, basalt, and gabbro, as well as metamorphic rocks like eclogite and blue-schist.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Still more common is the occurrence of sheared, foliated or schistose forms of gabbro.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 4 "G" to "Gaskell, Elizabeth" by Various