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petrology

American  
[pi-trol-uh-jee] / pɪˈtrɒl ə dʒi /

noun

  1. the scientific study of rocks, including petrography and petrogenesis.


petrology British  
/ ˌpɛtrəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, pɛˈtrɒlədʒɪ /

noun

  1.  petrol.  the study of the composition, origin, structure, and formation 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

petrology Scientific  
/ pə-trŏlə-jē /
  1. The scientific study of the origin, composition, and structure of rocks.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of petrology

First recorded in 1805–15; petro- 1 + -logy

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.

“It's like our moonshot. It's going to transform a lot of things,” says Yan Lavallée, a professor of magmatic petrology and volcanology at the Ludwigs-Maximillian University in Munich, and who heads KMT’s science committee.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2024

“But the petrology is interesting and special regardless,” she says.

From Science Magazine • May 25, 2023

The mining, the petrology, the archaeology — the artistically gifted, straight-F student, trying to live up to his brilliant, academic, domineering father.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 21, 2022

Volcanology and petrology of volcanic products from the island of Milos and neighbouring islets.

From Nature • Dec. 12, 2017

Geology: nothing about geomorphology or stratigraphy or even petrology.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

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