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phenocryst
[ fee-nuh-krist, fen-uh- ]
/ ˈfi nə krɪst, ˈfɛn ə- /
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noun Petrology.
any of the conspicuous crystals in a porphyritic rock.
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Words nearby phenocryst
phenmetrazine, pheno-, phenobarbital, phenobarbitone, phenocopy, phenocryst, phenodeviant, phenogram, phenol, phenolate, phenolated
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for phenocryst
phenocryst
/ (ˈfiːnəˌkrɪst, ˈfɛn-) /
noun
any of several large crystals that are embedded in a mass of smaller crystals in igneous rocks such as porphyry
Word Origin for phenocryst
C19: from pheno- (shining) + crystal
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Scientific definitions for phenocryst
phenocryst
[ fē′nə-krĭst′ ]
A large crystal that is surrounded by a finer-grained matrix in an igneous rock. Phenocrysts are usually the first crystals to form from a cooling magma, and therefore have sufficient room to grow to a large size. They are analogous to porphyroblasts in metamorphic rock.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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