Jump To:

• granite
  granite

  noun

  a coarse-grained igneous rock composed chiefly of orthoclase and albite feldspars and of quartz, usually with lesser amounts of one or more other minerals, as mica, hornblende, or augite.
• granité
  granité

  noun

  ice.

granite

¹ American  

[gran-it] / ˈgræn ɪt /

noun

1. a coarse-grained igneous rock composed chiefly of orthoclase and albite feldspars and of quartz, usually with lesser amounts of one or more other minerals, as mica, hornblende, or augite.

2. anything compared to this rock in great hardness, firmness, or durability.

---

granité ² American  

[gran-i-tey, grah-ni-, gra-nee-tey] / ˌgræn ɪˈteɪ, ˌgrɑ nɪ-, gra niˈteɪ /

noun

French Cooking.

1. ice.

---

granite British  

/ ɡrəˈnɪtɪk, ˈɡrænɪt /

noun

1. a light-coloured coarse-grained acid plutonic igneous rock consisting of quartz, feldspars, and such ferromagnesian minerals as biotite or hornblende: widely used for building

2. great hardness, endurance, or resolution

3. another name for a stone

---

granite Scientific  

/ grăn′ĭt /

1. A usually light-colored, coarse-grained igneous rock consisting mostly of quartz, orthoclase feldspar, sodium-rich plagioclase feldspar, and micas. Quartz usually makes up 10 to 50 percent of the light-colored minerals in granite, with the remaining minerals consisting of the feldspars and muscovite. The darker minerals in granite are usually biotite and hornblende. Granite is one of the most common rocks in the crust of continents, and is formed by the slow, underground cooling of magma.

---

granite Cultural  

1. A relatively lightweight igneous rock that makes up most of the Earth's crust beneath the continents. (See basalt, plate tectonics, and tectonic plates.)

---

Other Word Forms

• granite-like
  adjective
• granitelike
  adjective
• granitic
  adjective
• pregranitic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of granite¹

First recorded in 1640–50, granite is from the Italian word granito grainy. See grain, -ite ¹

Origin of granité²

From French

Compare meaning

How does granite compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gneiss vs. granite

Explanation

Granite is a type of rock that's commonly polished smooth and used for things like kitchen counters. Granite is dark and textured, with swirls of lighter colors. Granite is such a popular material in kitchens, as well as memorial stones and statues, because it is very strong and can be polished to a high shine. It's sturdy enough that granite is also commonly used to construct tall buildings and to cover floors in commercial areas. The word comes from the Italian granito, which means "grained" and is rooted in the Latin word for "grain," granum.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

granite granité

She left her backcountry campsite about 4:30 a.m. to reach Half Dome by 6 a.m., catching the sunrise at 8,800-feet elevation from the granite monolith.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

But there is conflicting evidence of the value of the site – or of whether US airstrikes can cause significant damage to the tunnels which are deep beneath granite rock.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

On the eve of Independence Day, Trump will give a speech beneath the giant granite heads of four of his legendary predecessors at the national monument in South Dakota.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

The visitor descends a long gentle incline, passing a wall of polished black granite that records the names of the 58,000 American soldiers who died in that war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

Lafayette is 5,249 feet of steep, heartless granite.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

And the jiggly, just-set cardamom panna cotta with crystals of rhubarb granité on top.

From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2015

The nicest thing I can say about the long winter is that it allowed her citrus salad with tapioca pudding and orange-blossom granité to stay on the menu until May.

From New York Times ● May 27, 2014

For dessert, there was a gold-flecked slab of chocolate with ginger ice cream on the side to start, and some litchi granité accompanied by the tart rosehip jam.

From New York Times ● May 25, 2011