lamprophyre

[lam-pruh-fahyuh r]

noun Petrology.

any dark intrusive rock in which dark minerals occur both as phenocrysts and as groundmass.

Origin of lamprophyre

1885–90; lampro- (< Greek lamprós clear) + -phyre

Related formslam·pro·phyr·ic

[lam-pruh-fir-ik] /ˌlæm prəˈfɪr ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lamprophyre

Historical Examples of lamprophyre

In Fergus County, Montana, they are mined from decomposed dikes of lamprophyre (a basic igneous rock).
The Economic Aspect of Geology
C. K. Leith
Each variety of lamprophyre may and often does contain all four minerals but is named according to the two which preponderate.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 2
Various
It is supposed that they did not crystallize in the lamprophyre dike but in some way were caught up by it.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 2
Various
They are found mostly as loose crystals in gravel, but are known also in igenous rocks like andesite and lamprophyre.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 4
Various

British Dictionary definitions for lamprophyre

lamprophyre

noun

any of a group of basic igneous rocks consisting of feldspathoids and ferromagnesian minerals, esp biotite: occurring as dykes and minor intrusions

Word Origin for lamprophyre

C19: from Greek lampros bright + -phyre, from porphyry

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

lamprophyre in Science

lamprophyre

[lăm′prə-fīr′]

A dark igneous rock, having a porphyritic texture in which both the phenocrysts (larger crystals) and the matrix consist primarily of pyroxene, hornblende, and biotite.