granite

¹ American  

[gran-it] / ˈgræn ɪt /

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.

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granité ² American  

[gran-i-tey, grah-ni-, gra-nee-tey] / ˌgræn ɪˈteɪ, ˌgrɑ nɪ-, gra niˈteɪ /

noun

French Cooking.

1. ice.

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granite British  

/ 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

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granite Scientific  

/ grăn′ĭt /

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.

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granite Cultural  

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.)

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of granite¹

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

Origin of granité²

From French

Compare meaning

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

• gneiss vs. granite

Explanation

Granite is a type of rock that's commonly polished smooth and used for things like kitchen counters. Granite is dark and textured, with swirls of lighter colors. Granite is such a popular material in kitchens, as well as memorial stones and statues, because it is very strong and can be polished to a high shine. It's sturdy enough that granite is also commonly used to construct tall buildings and to cover floors in commercial areas. The word comes from the Italian granito, which means "grained" and is rooted in the Latin word for "grain," granum.

Example Sentences

US President Donald Trump has continued his makeover of the White House, adding a statue of Christopher Colombus and laying new black granite paving stones on the famed West Wing colonnade.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Beneath Pine Island Glacier lies an enormous buried granite mass, nearly 100 km wide and 7 km thick, roughly half the size of Wales in the UK.

From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2026

But they don’t detect a brief touch on the granite itself.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

"During forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed. This will result in the stone being removed from play," they said.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

Each morning they returned, with the horse dragging another twenty blocks of granite, every block larger than the tallest man.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman