quartzite

[ kwawrt-sahyt ]

noun
  1. a granular metamorphic rock consisting essentially of quartz in interlocking grains.

Origin of quartzite

1
First recorded in 1840–50; quartz + -ite1

Other words from quartzite

  • quartz·it·ic [kwawrt-sit-ik], /kwɔrtˈsɪt ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby quartzite

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How to use quartzite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quartzite

quartzite

/ (ˈkwɔːtsaɪt) /


noun
  1. a very hard metamorphic rock consisting of a mosaic of intergrown quartz crystals

  2. a white or grey sandstone composed of quartz

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

Scientific definitions for quartzite

quartzite

[ kwôrtsīt′ ]


  1. A metamorphic rock consisting entirely of quartz. Quartzite forms when sandstone or chert are heated during metamorphism.

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