porphyritic

[ pawr-fuh-rit-ik ]

adjective

, Petrology.

1. of, pertaining to, containing, or resembling porphyry, its texture, or its structure.

porphyritic

/ ˌpɔːfɪˈrɪtɪk /

adjective

1. (of rocks) having large crystals in a fine groundmass of minerals
2. consisting of porphyry

Other Words From

• nonpor·phy·ritic adjective
• pseudo·porphy·ritic adjective
• subpor·phy·ritic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of porphyritic¹

1375–1425; late Middle English porphiritike < Medieval Latin porphyrīticus < Greek porphyrītikós of porphyry; -ic

Example Sentences

Dark grey porphyritic hornstone, approaching to compact felspar, with imbedded crystals of felspar.

From Project Gutenberg

Porphyritic mountains, says M. Maury, imprint on the landscape a peculiarly picturesque character.

From Project Gutenberg

That is, the metamorphic rocks are characteristically holocrystalline, while igneous rocks are porphyritic, or cryptocrystalline.

From Project Gutenberg

The lavas comprise dark pitchstone, resembling that at Kirk Yetholm, and porphyritic and amygdaloidal andesites and basalts.

From Project Gutenberg

But the bulk of the moraine is composed of porphyritic granite derived from Feldspar and Cathedral Valleys.

From Project Gutenberg