porphyritic
Americanadjective
adjective
-
(of rocks) having large crystals in a fine groundmass of minerals
-
consisting of porphyry
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of porphyritic
1375–1425; late Middle English porphiritike < Medieval Latin porphyrīticus < Greek porphyrītikós of porphyry; see -ic
Vocabulary lists containing porphyritic
Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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"Building the Transcontinental Railroad," Vocabulary from the history writing
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When porphyritic, it often has either olivine or plagioclase phenocrysts.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017
You can find dwarfs, hobbits, dragons and wizards in the towers created by porphyritic lava flows.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 8, 2015
They are called “porphyry” because upper crustal stocks are typically porphyritic in texture, the result of a two-stage cooling process.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
Figure 20.6 A model for the formation of a porphyry deposit around an upper-crustal porphyritic stock and associated vein deposits.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
It is connected with greenstone, which is sometimes porphyritic.
From Scenes and Andventures in the Semi-Alpine Region of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas by Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe
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.
