stylolite

[ stahy-luh-lahyt ]

/ ˈstaɪ ləˌlaɪt /

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noun Geology.

an irregular columnar structure in certain limestones, the columns being approximately at right angles to the bedding planes.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of stylolite

First recorded in 1865–70; stylo-² + -lite

OTHER WORDS FROM stylolite

sty·lo·lit·ic

[stahy-luh-lit-ik], /ˌstaɪ ləˈlɪt ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby stylolite

stylographic, stylography, stylohyoid, styloid, styloid process, stylolite, stylometry, stylophone, stylopize, stylopodium, stylops

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for stylolite

stylolite

/ (ˈstaɪləˌlaɪt) /

noun

any of the small striated columnar or irregular structures within the strata of some limestones

Derived forms of stylolite

stylolitic (ˌstaɪləˈlɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for stylolite

C19: from Greek stulos pillar + -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

Scientific definitions for stylolite

stylolite

[ stī′lə-līt′ ]

A contact surface usually found between two calcareous rock layers, marked by a series of jagged interlocking up-and-down projections that resemble a suture or the tracing of a stylus. Stylolites are found in rocks that have been subjected to pressure and are formed by a process, called pressure dissolution, whereby insoluble material, such as clay and hydrocarbons, becomes concentrated along a surface while other more soluble material, such as calcite, is carried away.