granite

¹

[gran-it]

noun

1. a coarse-grained igneous rock composed chiefly of orthoclase and albite feldspars and of quartz, usually with lesser amounts of one or more other minerals, as mica, hornblende, or augite.

2. anything compared to this rock in great hardness, firmness, or durability.

granité

²

[gran-i-tey, grah-ni-, gra-nee-tey]

noun

French Cooking.

1. ice.

granite

/ ɡrəˈnɪtɪk, ˈɡrænɪt /

noun

1. a light-coloured coarse-grained acid plutonic igneous rock consisting of quartz, feldspars, and such ferromagnesian minerals as biotite or hornblende: widely used for building

2. great hardness, endurance, or resolution

3. another name for a stone

granite

1. A usually light-colored, coarse-grained igneous rock consisting mostly of quartz, orthoclase feldspar, sodium-rich plagioclase feldspar, and micas. Quartz usually makes up 10 to 50 percent of the light-colored minerals in granite, with the remaining minerals consisting of the feldspars and muscovite. The darker minerals in granite are usually biotite and hornblende. Granite is one of the most common rocks in the crust of continents, and is formed by the slow, underground cooling of magma.

granite

1. A relatively lightweight igneous rock that makes up most of the Earth's crust beneath the continents. (See basalt, plate tectonics, and tectonic plates.)

Other Word Forms

• granitic adjective
• granitelike adjective
• pregranitic adjective
• granite-like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of granite¹

First recorded in 1640–50, granite is from the Italian word granito grainy. See grain, -ite ¹

Origin of granite²

From French

Word History and Origins

Origin of granite¹

C17: from Italian granito grained, from granire to grain, from grano grain, from Latin grānum