plutonic

[ploo-ton-ik]

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adjective Geology.

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

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

Related Words for plutonic

infernal, abyssal, cimmerian, igneous

Examples from the Web for plutonic

Historical Examples of plutonic

As to flint, that would not be wanting in these regions of Plutonic origin.
The Mysterious Island
Jules Verne
He has neither the cunning nor the ambition to establish the Plutonic empire with it.
The Perfect Wagnerite
George Bernard Shaw
In the Plutonic system, there is one simple and constant order assumed, which may be supposed eternal.
The Life of Sir Humphrey Davy, Bart. LL.D., Volume 2 (of 2)
John Ayrton Paris
The plutonic rocks which penetrate them are generally granite of various degrees of firmness.
The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 1, April, 1851
Various
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

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

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.