syenite

American  

[sahy-uh-nahyt] / ˈsaɪ əˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a granular igneous rock consisting chiefly of orthoclase and oligoclase with hornblende, biotite, or augite.

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syenite British  

/ ˌsaɪəˈnɪtɪk, ˈsaɪəˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a light-coloured coarse-grained plutonic igneous rock consisting of feldspars with hornblende or biotite

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syenite Scientific  

/ sī′ə-nīt′ /

1. A light-colored, coarse-grained igneous rock consisting primarily of alkali feldspar together with some mafic minerals, especially hornblende. Unlike most igneous rocks, syenite has little or no quartz. It is believed to form from the cooling of magma that forms at very high temperatures and at great depths. It is the coarse-grained equivalent of trachyte.

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Other Word Forms

• syenitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of syenite

First recorded in 1790–1800; from Latin syēnītēs (lapis) “(stone) of Syene” (the ancient name of Aswan, an Egyptian city on the Nile), from Greek syēnī́tēs (líthos); -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Jemisin weaves this story with two others: a young girl named Damaya who’s just been sent to the Fulcrum, and a woman named Syenite who’s about to leave for her first mission.

From The Verge

Jemisin lyrically narrates the lives of three orogene women: Essun, whose son has just been brutally murdered by her husband; Damaya, a young girl taken from her home to be trained by a vicious Guardian; and Syenite, who must breed with one of the most powerful orogenes.

From Washington Post

Most of these tracks end behind large boulders of dolostone or syenite, some however start and end without an apparent object nearby.

From Scientific American

An obelisk of rough-hewn syenite bears his portrait, modelled in relief by Gustav Blaesar.

From Project Gutenberg

Amphibole is a constituent of many crystalline rocks, as syenite, diorite, most varieties of trachyte, etc.

From Project Gutenberg