rhyolite

[rahy-uh-lahyt]

noun

a fine-grained igneous rock rich in silica: the volcanic equivalent of granite.

Origin of rhyolite

1865–70; rhyo- (irregular < Greek rhýax stream of lava) + -lite

Related formsrhy·o·lit·ic

[rahy-uh-lit-ik] /ˌraɪ əˈlɪt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for rhyolite

Historical Examples of rhyolite

Rhyolite and other forms of lava were last spread over the region.
Your National Parks
Enos A. Mills
"Better in the little cemetery at Rhyolite," answered the other.
The Boy With the U. S. Survey
Francis Rolt-Wheeler
Surface eruption of quartz-porphyry, rhyolite, and andesite.
History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County, Virginia
James W. Head
It is not improbable that this was a quarry site; an outcrop of rhyolite is close at hand.
The Topanga Culture Final Report on Excavations, 1948
A. E. Treganza
It then cools quickly and forms finely crystalline rocks of the rhyolite and basalt types.
The Economic Aspect of Geology
C. K. Leith

British Dictionary definitions for rhyolite

rhyolite

noun

a fine-grained igneous rock consisting of quartz, feldspars, and mica or amphibole. It is the volcanic equivalent of granite

Derived Formsrhyolitic (ˌraɪəˈlɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for rhyolite

C19: rhyo- from Greek rhuax a stream of lava + lite

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

rhyolite in Science

rhyolite

[rī′ə-līt′]

A usually light-colored, fine-grained extrusive igneous rock that is compositionally similar to granite. It often includes flow lines formed during the extrusion.