gabbro

American  

[gab-roh] / ˈgæb roʊ /

noun

Petrology.

PLURAL

gabbros

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

• gabbroic adjective
• gabbroid adjective
• gabbroitic adjective

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

Bags of gabbro and similar calcium-bearing silicate rocks fill a shed out back and dot the office.

From The Wall Street Journal

"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

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

From Scientific American

It's thanks to the gabbro that Marys Peak stands so tall.

From Scientific American

The textbook explanation is that the Moho draws the line between the crust and the mantle: a demarcation between familiar igneous surface rocks - such as granites, basalts and gabbros - and those of the interior peridotites.

From BBC