igneous

[ ig-nee-uhs ]

See synonyms for igneous on Thesaurus.com

adjective

Geology. produced under conditions involving intense heat, as rocks of volcanic origin or rocks crystallized from molten magma.
of, relating to, or characteristic of fire.

Origin of igneous

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin igneus “fiery, on fire, burning,” equivalent to igni(s) “fire” + -eus -eous. Ignis is the Latin form of the Proto-Indo-European egni-s, ogni-s, one of the Proto-Indo-European words for “fire,” and it is closely related to Slavic (Polish ) ogień (inflectional stem ogni- ) and to Sanskrit agni- Agni; see fire

Other words from igneous

non·ig·ne·ous, adjective

Words Nearby igneous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use igneous in a sentence

The samples were of crystalline igneous rock, meaning rock that solidified into crystals from hot lava or magma.
First Martian rock samples from Perseverance edge closer to settling water question | Leto Sapunar | September 17, 2021 | Popular-Science
Perseverance has also found evidence of igneous, or volcanic, rocks on Jezero’s crater floor.
See some of the most intriguing photos from NASA’s Perseverance rover so far | Lisa Grossman | August 19, 2021 | Science News
Formed by eons of erosion between two different kinds of igneous rock, the cave sits right in the middle of where weather from the Pacific Ocean meets weather from the Atlantic Ocean.
What’s in a packrat’s petrified pee? Just a few thousand years of secrets. | Rachel Feltman | August 12, 2021 | Popular-Science
Unlike magma turning into igneous rock, for example, diamonds don’t melt and recrystallize.
Diamonds contain remnants of Earth’s ancient atmosphere | Monroe Hammond | July 20, 2021 | Popular-Science
They needed more data from various igneous rocks to expand their calibration of the instrument.
These scientists spent decades pushing NASA to go back to Venus. Now they’re on a hot streak. | Corinne Iozzio | June 29, 2021 | Popular-Science

The most ancient and lowest stratum of this igneous formation is a compact conglomerate known as tufa lithoide.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry Withrow
The "erratics" comprised a great variety of metamorphic and igneous rocks, and, on a more limited scale, sedimentary types.
The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
The beacons were found to be part of a horizontal, stratified series of sandstones underlying the igneous rock.
The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
The metamorphism of the igneous rocks is regional in nature and has the same increase from west to east as the sediments.
History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County, Virginia | James W. Head
The stone formation bears the usual indications of aqueous and igneous deposits, but more of the former than the latter.
Official Report of the Niger Valley Exploring Party | Martin Robinson Delany

British Dictionary definitions for igneous

igneous

/ (ˈɪɡnɪəs) /

adjective

(of rocks) derived by solidification of magma or molten lava emplaced on or below the earth's surface: Compare sedimentary, metamorphic (def. 2)
of or relating to fire

Origin of igneous

C17: from Latin igneus fiery, from ignis fire

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 igneous

igneous

[ ĭg′nē-əs ]

Relating to rocks or minerals formed by the cooling and hardening of magma or molten lava. Basalt and granite are examples of igneous rocks.
Relating to the processes, such as volcanism, by which such rocks and minerals form.

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