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melaphyre

American  
[mel-uh-fahyuhr] / ˈmɛl əˌfaɪər /

noun

Petrology.
  1. a type of dark igneous rock embedded with feldspar crystals, related to basalt.


melaphyre British  
/ ˈmɛləˌfaɪə /

noun

  1. obsolete geology a type of weathered amygdaloidal basalt or andesite

"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

Other Word Forms

  • melaphyric adjective

Etymology

Origin of melaphyre

C19: via French from Greek melas black + ( por ) phura purple

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Apophyllite is a mineral of secondary origin, commonly occurring, in association with other zeolites, in amygdaloidal cavities in basalt and melaphyre.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 3 "Apollodorus" to "Aral" by Various

The rocks consist chiefly of basalt, dolerite, melaphyre and felstone.

From Volcanoes: Past and Present by Hull, Edward

Below this were found chipped flints, an adze of melaphyre, and a layer of boulders, sand, and clay, brought down by the ice from the higher valley.

From English Villages by Ditchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson)

Beaumont, Elie de, on the uplifting of mountain chains, 51, 300; influence of the rocks of melaphyre and serpentine, on pendulum experiments, 167; conjectures on the quartz strata of the Col de la Poissoniere, 266.

From COSMOS: A Sketch of the Physical Description of the Universe, Vol. 1 by Humboldt, Alexander von

In China, at the close of the period, there were enormous eruptions of melaphyre, porphyrite and quartz-porphyry.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3 "Capefigue" to "Carneades" by Various