trachyte

[ trey-kahyt, trak-ahyt ]

/ ˈtreɪ kaɪt, ˈtræk aɪt /

noun

a fine-grained volcanic rock consisting essentially of alkali feldspar and one or more subordinate minerals, as hornblende or mica: the extrusive equivalent of syenite.

Nearby words

Origin of trachyte

1815–25; < French < Greek trāchýtēs roughness, equivalent to trāchý(s) rough + -tēs noun suffix

Related formstra·chyt·ic

[truh-kit-ik] /trəˈkɪt ɪk/, trach·y·toid

[trak-i-toid, trey-ki-] /ˈtræk ɪˌtɔɪd, ˈtreɪ kɪ-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for trachyte

Some of these are composed of trachyte, others of compact blue basalt with olivine.
Principles of Geology|Charles Lyell
Trachyte (trachys, rough) is a pale or dark-gray rock, harsh and rough to the touch, in which felspar is the predominant mineral.
Geology|James Geikie
The last is in a sienitic rock on the limits of the trachyte.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
The last of the trachyte peaks are at the head of Mosquito pass.
The Crest of the Continent|Ernest Ingersoll

Or, again, I see no difficulty in a mass of trachyte being exposed by subsequent dislocations and bared or cleaned by rain.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II|Charles Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for trachyte

trachyte

/ (ˈtreɪkaɪt, ˈtræ-) /

noun

a light-coloured fine-grained volcanic rock of rough texture consisting of feldspars with small amounts of pyroxene or amphibole

Derived Formstrachytoid (ˈtrækɪˌtɔɪd, ˈtreɪ-), adjective

Word Origin for trachyte

C19: from French, from Greek trakhutēs, from trakhus rough

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

Science definitions for trachyte

trachyte

[ trā′kīt′, trăk′īt′ ]

A light-colored, fine-grained igneous rock consisting primarily of alkali feldspar together with some mafic minerals, especially hornblende. Unlike most igneous rocks, trachyte has little or no quartz. Trachyte is the fine-grained equivalent of syenite.