phanerocrystalline

[fan-uh-roh-kris-tl-in, -ahyn]

adjective Petrography.

(of a rock) having the principal constituents in the form of crystals visible to the naked eye.

Also phan·er·it·ic

[fan-uh-rit-ik] /ˌfæn əˈrɪt ɪk/.

Origin of phanerocrystalline

1860–65; < Greek phaneró(s) visible, manifest + crystalline

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for phaneritic

phanerocrystalline

adjective

(of igneous and metamorphic rocks) having a crystalline structure in which the crystals are large enough to be seen with the naked eye

Word Origin for phanerocrystalline

C19: from Greek phaneros visible + crystalline

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

phaneritic in Science

phaneritic

[făn′ə-rĭt′ĭk]

Of or relating to an igneous rock in which the crystals are so coarse that individual minerals can be distinguished with the naked eye. Phaneritic rocks are intrusive rocks that cooled slowly enough to allow significant crystal growth. Compare aphanitic.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.