greenstone

American  

[green-stohn] / ˈgrinˌstoʊn /

noun

1. any of various altered basaltic rocks having a dark-green color caused by the presence of chlorite, epidote, etc.

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greenstone British  

/ ˈɡriːnˌstəʊn /

noun

1. any basic igneous rock that is dark green because of the presence of chlorite, actinolite, or epidote

2. a variety of jade used in New Zealand for ornaments and tools

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greenstone Scientific  

/ grēn′stōn′ /

1. Any of various green metamorphic rocks formed from igneous rocks that have a relatively low silica content and owe their color to the presence of a green mineral such as chlorite, hornblende, or epidote.

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Etymology

Origin of greenstone

First recorded in 1765–75; green + stone

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

greenstone

Houses and a “polished greenstone axe” dating to around 3800 B.C. have been excavated at Horton, west of London.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

The box also held three ceramic vessels, ear flares and a pair of greenstone beads.

From Reuters ● Sep. 25, 2023

Trapped within them are bands of iron-rich rock, called greenstone belts, which are the remnants of ocean crust that got squeezed between the cratons in ancient continental collisions.

From Science Magazine ● Feb. 15, 2023

Fault lines run through Man Chain and Kahshahpiwi Lakes, cleaving perfectly straight granite and greenstone shorelines.

From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2016

The rocks at that place are the old red granite and sienite, in mountain masses, with veins of greenstone, greenstone porphyry, and gneiss. c.

From Scenes and Andventures in the Semi-Alpine Region of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

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