nephelinite

[ nef-uh-luh-nahyt ]

noun

, Petrography.

1. a fine-grained, dark rock of volcanic origin, essentially a basalt containing nepheline but no feldspar and little or no olivine.

nephelinite

/ ˈnɛfɪlɪˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a fine-grained basic laval rock consisting of pyroxene and nepheline

Other Words From

• neph·e·li·nit·ic [nef-, uh, -l, uh, -, nit, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nephelinite¹

First recorded in 1860–65; nepheline + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

They are chiefly leucite and nepheline rocks, such as leucitite, leucitophyre and nephelinite, but basalt and trachyte also occur.

From Project Gutenberg