inlier

[ in-lahy-er ]

nounGeology.

an outcrop of a formation completely surrounded by rocks of younger age.

Origin of inlier

First recorded in 1855–60; in + (out)lier

Compare outlier.

Words Nearby inlier

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

How to use inlier in a sentence

The Cornbrash is exposed along part of the Billing brook, and in a small inlier near Yaxley.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 8 | Various
Good slates are quarried at Kilmoganny, in the Silurian inlier on the Slievenaman range.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 7 | Various
An inlier of these rocks appears in the rising ground east of Dungiven, including dark grey crystalline limestone.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 8 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for inlier

inlier

/ (ˈɪnˌlaɪə) /

noun

an outcrop of rocks that is entirely surrounded by younger rocks

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

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