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plutonism

American  
[ploot-n-iz-uhm] / ˈplut nˌɪz əm /

noun

Geology.

  1. the intrusion of magma and associated deep-seated processes within the earth's crust.

  2. (often initial capital letter) the disproven theory that all rocks formed by solidification of a molten mass, promulgated by Scottish geologist James Hutton (1726–97).

Other Word Forms

  • plutonist noun

Etymology

Origin of plutonism

First recorded in 1840–50; pluton(ic) + -ism

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.