trachyte

[ trey-kahyt, trak-ahyt ]

/ ˈtreɪ kaɪt, ˈtræk aɪt /

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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.

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Origin of trachyte

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

OTHER WORDS FROM trachyte

tra·chyt·ic

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

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

Words nearby trachyte

trachoma, trachy-, trachybasalt, trachycarpous, trachyspermous, trachyte, trachytic, tracing, tracing paper, tracing tape, track

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

How to use trachyte in a sentence

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
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
The volcanic origin of the whole archipelago is proved by the principal rocks being of basalt, trachyte and lava.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 6|Various
Large areas are overlain with trachyte, basalt, obsidian, tuff and pumice.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5|Various

Trachyte has been extruded in a state so viscid that it has formed steepsided domes like that of Sarcoui (Fig. 230).
The Elements of Geology|William Harmon Norton

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 forms of trachyte

trachytoid (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

Scientific 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.