novaculite

American

[noh-vak-yuh-lahyt] / noʊˈvæk jəˌlaɪt /

noun

Petrology.

a very hard sedimentary rock, similar to chert, composed essentially of microcrystalline quartz.

novaculite British

/ nəʊˈvækjʊˌlaɪt /

noun

a fine-grained dense hard rock containing quartz and feldspar: used as a whetstone

"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

Etymology

Origin of novaculite

1790–1800; < Latin novācul ( a ) a sharp knife, razor + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

novaculite

The Quapaw and Caddo peoples lived here for thousands of years, mining the region’s ubiquitous novaculite, a type of flint stone, for weapons.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 6, 2020

The finest of the novaculite rocks of central Arkansas are quarried near the city.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 7 "Horticulture" to "Hudson Bay" by Various

The novaculite is mentioned as occurring on Washita, as described by Mr. Bringier in the present number.

From Scenes and Andventures in the Semi-Alpine Region of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

Hones, oilstones, and whetstones are produced largely from a rock called "novaculite" in Arkansas, and also in Indiana, Ohio, and New England; imports are negligible.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by C. K. (Charles Kenneth) Leith

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023