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phenocryst

[ fee-nuh-krist, fen-uh- ]

noun

, Petrology.
  1. any of the conspicuous crystals in a porphyritic rock.


phenocryst

/ ˈfiːnəˌkrɪst; ˈfɛn- /

noun

  1. any of several large crystals that are embedded in a mass of smaller crystals in igneous rocks such as porphyry
“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


phenocryst

/ nə-krĭst′ /

  1. 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.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of phenocryst1

First recorded in 1890–95; pheno- + cryst(al)
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Word History and Origins

Origin of phenocryst1

C19: from pheno- (shining) + crystal

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