granite
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.
anything compared to this rock in great hardness, firmness, or durability.
Origin of granite
1Other words from granite
- gra·nit·ic [gruh-nit-ik], /grəˈnɪt ɪk/, adjective
- gran·ite·like, adjective
- pre·gra·nit·ic, adjective
Words that may be confused with granite
- granite , granité
Other definitions for granité (2 of 2)
Origin of granité
2Words that may be confused with granité
- granite, granité
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use granite in a sentence
After that granite band is filled in, there are seven more blank ones on the next block.
It’s Time for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans to Get a Parade of Their Own | Michael Daly | November 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTRepublican Scott Brown, the former Massachusetts senator now running in the granite State, is the best conveyor of the message.
How to Politicize Ebola: Blame It on Obama—or the GOP | Eleanor Clift | October 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe was told it had gone well, he said, and he has already received two more invitations to the granite State.
Two hours east of Dallas, sun-drenched granite cliffs loom high above the cloudy waters of Possum Kingdom Lake.
The World Series of Cliff Diving Takes Itself Very Seriously | Hampton Stevens | June 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe sand on its namesake beach turns gray as the sun dips behind the Two Brothers, twin granite spires at the far side of the bay.
Why not have sought out the pure white lime-rocks of the flat country, or the grey granite of the hills?
On the opposite side of the stream, set back about thirty paces from the brink, stood a granite boulder.
Uncanny Tales | VariousThe Piedmont also has a great variety of rocks, including granite and soapstone which are currently commercially important.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia | Dorothy M. TorpeyIt is protected by a stupendous granite breakwater, costing many millions and affording a delightful promenade on a fine day.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Thomas D. MurphyThe hills of Mount Upstart are of primitive form, and were judged to be composed of granite.
British Dictionary definitions for granite
/ (ˈɡrænɪt) /
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
great hardness, endurance, or resolution
another name for a stone (def. 9)
Origin of granite
1Derived forms of granite
- granite-like, adjective
- granitic (ɡrəˈnɪtɪk) or granitoid, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for granite
[ grăn′ĭt ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for granite
A relatively lightweight igneous rock that makes up most of the Earth's crust beneath the continents. (See basalt, plate tectonics, and tectonic plates.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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