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ophite

American  
[of-ahyt, oh-fahyt] / ˈɒf aɪt, ˈoʊ faɪt /

noun

Petrology.

  1. a diabase in which elongate crystals of plagioclase are embedded in pyroxene.

ophite British  
/ ˈəʊfaɪt /

noun

  1. any of several greenish mottled rocks with ophitic texture, such as dolerite and diabase

"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

Other Word Forms

  • ophitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of ophite

1350–1400; Middle English ophites < Latin ophītēs serpentine stone < Greek ophī́tēs ( líthos ) serpentine (stone), equivalent to óph ( is ) serpent + -ī́tēs -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.

The whole ceremony may be considered as a lively representation of an ophite procession as it advanced through the sinuous paralleiths of Karnak.

From The God-Idea of the Ancients or Sex in Religion by Gamble, Eliza Burt

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.