spherulite

American

[sfer-oo-lahyt, -yoo-, sfeer-] / ˈsfɛr ʊˌlaɪt, -jʊ-, ˈsfɪər- /

noun

Petrology.

a rounded aggregate of radiating crystals found in obsidian and other glassy igneous rocks.

spherulite British

/ ˈsfɛrʊˌlaɪt /

noun

any of several spherical masses of radiating needle-like crystals of one or more minerals occurring in rocks such as obsidian

"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

Other Word Forms

spherulitic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of spherulite

First recorded in 1815–25; spherule + -ite ¹

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023