lamprophyre

[ lam-pruh-fahyuhr ]

/ ˈlæm prəˌfaɪər /

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noun Petrology.

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

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Origin of lamprophyre

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

OTHER WORDS FROM lamprophyre

lam·pro·phyr·ic

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

Words nearby lamprophyre

lamp oil, lampoon, lamppost, lamprey, lamprophony, lamprophyre, lampshade, lamp shell, lamp standard, lamp trimmer, lampworking

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

How to use lamprophyre in a sentence

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
In Fergus County, Montana, they are mined from decomposed dikes of lamprophyre (a basic igneous rock).
The Economic Aspect of Geology|C. K. Leith
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

/ (ˈlæmprəˌfaɪə) /

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

Scientific definitions for lamprophyre

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.