porphyry

[ pawr-fuh-ree ]

/ ˈpɔr fə ri /

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.

Nearby words

porphyrize, porphyroblast, porphyrogenite, porphyroid, porphyropsin, porphyry, porpoise, porrect, porridge, porrigo, porringer

Origin of porphyry

1350–1400; Middle English porfurie, porfirie < Medieval Latin porphyreum, alteration of Latin porphyrītēs < Greek porphyrī́tēs porphyry, short for porphyrī́tēs líthos porphyritic (i.e., purplish) stone, equivalent to pórphyr(os) purple + -ītēs; see -ite¹

Definition for porphyry (2 of 2)

Porphyry

[ pawr-fuh-ree ]

/ ˈpɔr fə ri /

noun

Malchus, a.d. c233–c304, Greek philosopher.

Related formsPor·phyr·e·an

[pawr-feer-ee-uh n] /pɔrˈfɪər i ən/, adjectivePor·phyr·i·an, adjective, nounPor·phyr·i·an·ist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for porphyry

The well-rounded pebbles of porphyry were mingled with many immense angular fragments of basalt and of primary rocks.
A Naturalist's Voyage Round the World|Charles Darwin
Some of the porphyry columns now in Santa Sophia at Constantinople are said to have been taken from it.
Archology and the Bible|George A. Barton
Seven specimens were of basalt and one each of chert and porphyry.
The Topanga Culture Final Report on Excavations, 1948|A. E. Treganza
Behind the altar is a mosaic screen, with panels of porphyry and serpentine, and an ancient episcopal throne.
Walks in Rome|Augustus J.C. Hare

Among his disciples the most important were Amelius and Porphyry.
History of Dogma, Volume 1 (of 7)|Adolph Harnack

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for porphyry

porphyry

type of ornamental stone, late 14c., porfurie, from Old French porfire, from Italian porfiro and in some cases directly from Latin porphyrites, a purple semi-precious stone quarried near the Red Sea in Egypt, from Greek porphyrites (lithos) "the purple (stone)," from porphyra (n.) "purple, purple dye" (see purple). Spelling Latinized mid-15c. Now used generally for a type of igneous rock without regard to color. Porphyrios was an ancient proper name.

Science definitions for porphyry

porphyry

[ pôr′fə-rē ]

An igneous rock containing the large crystals known as phenocrysts embedded in a fine-grained matrix.

Related formsporphyritic adjective (pôr′fə-rĭt′ĭk)