geode

[ jee-ohd ]

/ ˈdʒi oʊd /

noun

a hollow concretionary or nodular stone often lined with crystals.

the hollow or cavity of this.

any similar formation.

Nearby words

geochronometry, geocline, geocode, geocorona, geod., geode, geodemographics, geodesic, geodesic dome, geodesic line, geodesy

Origin of geode

1670–80; < French géode < Latin geōdēs < Greek geṓdēs earthlike. See geo-, -ode¹

Related formsge·od·ic

[jee-od-ik] /dʒiˈɒd ɪk/, ge·od·al

[jee-ohd-l] /dʒiˈoʊd l/, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for geode

The geode has a hollow cell within, lined with beautiful crystals of many colors.
First Across the Continent|Noah Brooks
The geode is a spherical and apparently solid stone, but when broken is found to be hollow and coated with crystals.
The Smoky God|Willis George Emerson
Geode, an irregular shaped stone, containing a small cavity.
A Manual of the Antiquity of Man|J. P. MacLean
No date; no place mentioned; we note the suggestion that it was only a geode, which had been upon the ground in the first place.
The Book of the Damned|Charles Fort

A geode is a hollow shell of stone, usually quartz, lined with crystals pointing toward the center.
The Chautauquan, Vol. III, March 1883|The Chautauquan Literary and Scientific Circle

British Dictionary definitions for geode

geode

/ (ˈdʒiːəʊd) /

noun

a cavity, usually lined with crystals, within a rock mass or nodule

Derived Formsgeodic (dʒɪˈɒdɪk), adjective

Word Origin for geode

C17: from Latin geōdēs a precious stone, from Greek: earthlike; see geo-, -ode 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

Word Origin and History for geode

geode

rounded stone with a hollow center lined with crystals, 1670s, from French géode, from Latin geodes, from Greek geodes "earthy, earth-like," from ge "earth" (Homeric gaia; see Gaia) + -oides, adjective suffix, "characterized by." Perhaps so called in reference to the "earthy" minerals inside.

Medicine definitions for geode

geode

[ jē′ōd′ ]

n.

A cystlike space with or without an epithelial lining, usually observed in subarticular bone in arthritic disorders.

Science definitions for geode

geode

[ jē′ōd′ ]

A small, hollow, usually rounded rock lined on the inside with inward-pointing crystals. Geodes form when mineral-rich water entering a cavity in a rock undergoes a sudden change in pressure or temperature, causing crystals to form from the solution and line the cavity's walls.