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petrography

American  
[pi-trog-ruh-fee] / pɪˈtrɒg rə fi /

noun

  1. the branch of petrology dealing with the description and classification of rocks, especially by microscopic examination.


petrography British  
/ ˌpɛtrəˈɡræfɪk, pɛˈtrɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

  1.  petrog.  the branch of petrology concerned with the description and classification of rocks

"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

petrography Scientific  
/ pə-trŏgrə-fē /
  1. The description and classification of rocks, especially by means of microscopic analysis.


Other Word Forms

  • petrographer noun
  • petrographic adjective
  • petrographical adjective
  • petrographically adverb

Etymology

Origin of petrography

From the New Latin word petrographia, dating back to 1645–55. See petro- 1, -graphy

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.

They will also do “petrography” on the concrete — studying it chemically and microscopically to test its strength and quality.

From Seattle Times

Petrography, diagenesis and provenance of Eocene Tyee Basin sandstones, southern Oregon Coast Range: new view from sequence stratigraphy.

From Nature

Endress, M., Spettel, B. & Bischoff, A. Chemistry, petrography and mineralogy of the Tonk CI chondrite: preliminary results.

From Nature

Geognosy, je-og′no-si, n. the study of the materials of the earth's substance, now frequently called Petrography—also Geognō′sis.—n.

From Project Gutenberg

Delicate cleavage-plates of gypsum are used in microscopic petrography for the determination of certain optical constants in the rock-forming minerals.

From Project Gutenberg