paragenesis

American

[par-uh-jen-uh-sis] / ˌpær əˈdʒɛn ə sɪs /

noun

Geology.

the origin of minerals or mineral deposits in contact so as to affect one another's formation.
the order in which the minerals in a rock or vein have crystallized.

paragenesis British

/ ˌpærədʒɪˈniːzɪə, ˌpærədʒɪˈnɛtɪk, ˌpærəˈdʒɛnɪsɪs /

noun

a characteristic association of minerals in a particular type of rock or ore deposit

"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

paragenetic adjective
paragenetically adverb

Etymology

Origin of paragenesis

From New Latin, dating back to 1850–55; para- ¹, genesis

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.

A part of the work of this corps is to study the methods of metamorphism and the paragenesis of minerals, and in this connection the chemists do work in the field; but to a large extent they are occupied with the study of the materials collected by the field geologists.

From Project Gutenberg

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