pitchstone

[pich-stohn]

noun

a glassy volcanic rock having a resinous luster and resembling hardened pitch.

Origin of pitchstone

1775–85; translation of German Pechstein. See pitch², stone

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

Examples from the Web for pitchstone

Historical Examples of pitchstone

But there ain't no crawlin' out o' Pitchstone Canyon, they say.
The Jimmyjohn Boss and Other Stories
Owen Wister
I have brought from that locality a single specimen of pitchstone, perfectly resinous, bleak and shining.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
The lavas are curious from abounding in, or rather being in parts composed of pitchstone.
More Letters of Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
I strongly suspect the underlying granite has altered such beds into this pitchstone.
More Letters of Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
I had never seen him look as he did now, not even in Pitchstone Canyon when we came upon the bodies of Hank and his wife.
The Virginian
Owen Wister

British Dictionary definitions for pitchstone

pitchstone

noun

a dark glassy acid volcanic rock similar in composition to granite, usually intruded as dykes, sills, etc

Word Origin for pitchstone

C18: translation of German Pechstein

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