plutonic

[ ploo-ton-ik ]

/ pluˈtɒn ɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plutonic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Geology.

noting or pertaining to a class of igneous rocks that have solidified far below the earth's surface.

RELATED WORDS

infernal, abyssal, cimmerian, igneous

Nearby words

plutogogue, plutolatry, plutomania, pluton, plutonian, plutonic, plutonism, plutonium, plutus, pluvial, pluviometer

Origin of plutonic

1790–1800; < Latin Plūtōn- (stem of Plūtō Pluto < Greek Ploútōn) + -ic; orig. referring to the Plutonic theory (see plutonism)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for plutonic

Down to a comparatively recent period, it would seem to have been the theatre of plutonic phenomena of an extraordinary character.
Some Heroes of Travel|W. H. Davenport Adams
The mountain itself bears the most indubitable marks of plutonic origin.
Letters from the Alleghany Mountains|Charles Lanman
Boulders of plutonic rocks from this area have been widely distributed by the ice during the glacial period.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 8|Various
Igneous rocks in great variety and in all forms incident to an extruded or volcanic and intruded or plutonic origin are present.
North America|Israel C. Russell

They loved their city and worked for it with a plutonic energy which was always ardently vocal.
The Magnificent Ambersons|Booth Tarkington

British Dictionary definitions for plutonic

plutonic

/ (pluːˈtɒnɪk) /

adjective

(of igneous rocks) derived from magma that has cooled and solidified below the surface of the earthAlso: abyssal

Word Origin for plutonic

C20: named after Pluto 1

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

Word Origin and History for plutonic

plutonic

adj.

"pertaining to or involving intense heat deep in the earth's crust," 1796, coined by Irish scientist Richard Kirwin (1733-1812) from comb. form of Pluto (as god of the underworld) + -ic. Especially in reference to early 19c. geological theory (championed by Hutton) that attributed most of the earth's features to action of internal heat, a theory which triumphed over its rival, neptunism, which attributed them to water. Related: Plutonism; Plutonist.