granite

¹ American  

[gran-it] / ˈgræn ɪt /

noun

1. a coarse-grained igneous rock composed chiefly of orthoclase and albite feldspars and of quartz, usually with lesser amounts of one or more other minerals, as mica, hornblende, or augite.

2. anything compared to this rock in great hardness, firmness, or durability.

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granité ² American  

[gran-i-tey, grah-ni-, gra-nee-tey] / ˌgræn ɪˈteɪ, ˌgrɑ nɪ-, gra niˈteɪ /

noun

French Cooking.

1. ice.

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granite British  

/ ɡrəˈnɪtɪk, ˈɡrænɪt /

noun

1. a light-coloured coarse-grained acid plutonic igneous rock consisting of quartz, feldspars, and such ferromagnesian minerals as biotite or hornblende: widely used for building

2. great hardness, endurance, or resolution

3. another name for a stone

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granite Scientific  

/ grăn′ĭt /

1. A usually light-colored, coarse-grained igneous rock consisting mostly of quartz, orthoclase feldspar, sodium-rich plagioclase feldspar, and micas. Quartz usually makes up 10 to 50 percent of the light-colored minerals in granite, with the remaining minerals consisting of the feldspars and muscovite. The darker minerals in granite are usually biotite and hornblende. Granite is one of the most common rocks in the crust of continents, and is formed by the slow, underground cooling of magma.

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granite Cultural  

1. A relatively lightweight igneous rock that makes up most of the Earth's crust beneath the continents. (See basalt, plate tectonics, and tectonic plates.)

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Other Word Forms

• granite-like adjective
• granitelike adjective
• granitic adjective
• pregranitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of granite¹

First recorded in 1640–50, granite is from the Italian word granito grainy. See grain, -ite ¹

Origin of granité²

From French

Compare meaning

How does granite compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gneiss vs. granite

Example Sentences

Bright pink granite boulders scattered across the dark volcanic peaks of the Hudson Mountains in West Antarctica have led scientists to a remarkable discovery.

From Science Daily

Park on the west end of the parking lot to access the decomposed granite path leading to the 1.17-acre habitat garden.

From Los Angeles Times

Iran’s “regime was trying to reconstitute its weapons program at a different site” before the war, he said, “protected by granite.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The former Park Service employee claims free speech violations after organizing climbers for the display at El Capitan granite formation.

From The Wall Street Journal

She set off down a shadowed path, wandering alone past obelisks, stone angels, and granite buildings in this city of the dead.

From Literature