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porphyry
[ pawr-fuh-ree ]
/ ˈpɔr fə ri /
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noun, plural por·phy·ries.
a very hard rock, anciently quarried in Egypt, having a dark, purplish-red groundmass containing small crystals of feldspar.
Petrology. any igneous rock containing coarse crystals, as phenocrysts, in a finer-grained groundmass.
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Words nearby porphyry
porphyrize, porphyroblast, porphyrogenite, porphyroid, porphyropsin, porphyry, porpoise, porrect, porridge, porringer, Porro prism
Other definitions for porphyry (2 of 2)
Porphyry
[ pawr-fuh-ree ]
/ ˈpɔr fə ri /
noun
Malchus, a.d. c233–c304, Greek philosopher.
OTHER WORDS FROM Porphyry
Por·phyr·e·an [pawr-feer-ee-uhn], /pɔrˈfɪər i ən/, adjectivePor·phyr·i·an, adjective, nounPor·phyr·i·an·ist, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use porphyry in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for porphyry (1 of 2)
porphyry
/ (ˈpɔːfɪrɪ) /
noun plural -ries
any igneous rock with large crystals embedded in a finer groundmass of minerals
obsolete a reddish-purple rock consisting of large crystals of feldspar in a finer groundmass of feldspar, hornblende, etc
Word Origin for porphyry
C14 porfurie, from Late Latin porphyrītēs, from Greek porphuritēs (lithos) purple (stone), from porphuros purple
British Dictionary definitions for porphyry (2 of 2)
Porphyry
/ (ˈpɔːfɪrɪ) /
noun
original name Malchus. 232–305 ad, Greek Neo-Platonist philosopher, born in Syria; disciple and biographer of Plotinus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Scientific definitions for porphyry
porphyry
[ pôr′fə-rē ]
An igneous rock containing the large crystals known as phenocrysts embedded in a fine-grained matrix.
Other words from porphyry
porphyritic adjective (pôr′fə-rĭt′ĭk)The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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