Basalt Definition
bə-sôlt, bāsôlt
basalts
noun
A hard, dense, dark igneous rock composed chiefly of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, and olivine, and often having a glassy appearance.
American Heritage
A dark, fine-grained, usually extrusive igneous rock that is more basic than andesite, consisting chiefly of plagioclase feldspars and pyroxene: often found in vast sheets, it is the most common extrusive igneous rock.
Webster's New World
A kind of hard unglazed pottery.
American Heritage
A kind of unglazed, black pottery designed by Josiah Wedgwood.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
Other Word Forms of Basalt
Noun
Singular:
basalt
Plural:
basaltsOrigin of Basalt
-
From Late Latin basaltes, a misspelling of Latin basanites, from Ancient Greek βασανίτης (basanitēs), from βάσανος (basanos, “touchstone”), from Egyptian
From Wiktionary
Latin basaltēs alteration of basanītēs touchstone from Greek basanītēs (lithos) from basanos Egyptian bḫn graywacke
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
bawḥan 'slate'.
From Wiktionary
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