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xenocryst

[ zen-uh-krist, zee-nuh- ]

noun

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


xenocryst

/ ˈzɛnəˌkrɪst /

noun

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


xenocryst

/ zĕnə-krĭst′,zēnə- /

  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 Words From

  • xeno·crystic adjective
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Word History and Origins

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Word History and Origins

Origin of xenocryst1

C20: from xeno- + cryst ( al )

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Xenocratesxenocurrency