xenocryst

American  

[zen-uh-krist, zee-nuh-] / ˈzɛn ə krɪst, ˈzi nə- /

noun

Mineralogy.

1. a rock or crystal engulfed by magma and retained as an inclusion in the resulting igneous rock.

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xenocryst British  

/ ˈzɛnəˌkrɪst /

noun

1. a crystal included within an igneous rock as the magma cooled but not formed from it

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xenocryst Scientific  

/ zĕn′ə-krĭst′,zē′nə- /

1. A crystal foreign to the igneous rock in which it occurs. Xenocrysts usually form during metamorphism.

2. Compare xenolith

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Other Word Forms

• xenocrystic adjective

Etymology

Origin of xenocryst

xeno- + cryst(al)