obsidian

[ uhb-sid-ee-uhn ]

noun

1. a volcanic glass similar in composition to granite, usually dark but transparent in thin pieces, and having a good conchoidal fracture.

obsidian

/ ɒbˈsɪdɪən /

noun

1. a dark volcanic glass formed by very rapid solidification of lava Also calledIceland agate

obsidian

/ ŏb-sĭd′ē-ən /

1. A shiny, usually black, volcanic glass. Obsidian forms above ground from lava that is similar in composition to the magma from which granite forms underground, but cools so quickly that minerals do not have a chance to form within it.

Word History and Origins

Origin of obsidian¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin Obsidiānus, printer's error for Obsiānus “pertaining to Obsius,” the discoverer (according to Pliny) of a similar mineral in Ethiopia; replacing Middle English obsianus, from Latin

Word History and Origins

Origin of obsidian¹

C17: from Latin obsidiānus, erroneous transcription of obsiānus ( lapis ) (stone of) Obsius, the name (in Pliny) of the discoverer of a stone resembling obsidian

Example Sentences

The volcanoes would have created fertile soil and plenty of obsidian rock to craft into tools.

From Popular-Science

Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, set in the waning days of the Depression, is neither a remake nor a strict adaptation, but rather a melding of both, its own sleek, obsidian creature.

From Time

Romero Villanueva adds that the ancients might have been in search of obsidian.

From Popular-Science

Among them are bow and arrow technology, specialized tool forms, the long-distance transport of objects such as marine shells and obsidian, personal ornamentation, the use of pigments, water storage, and art.

From Quartz

Based on previous discoveries of items made of obsidian, seashells and other exotic materials at council circles, these structures must have hosted rituals of some kind, says archaeologist Susan Vehik of the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

From Science News

“I think the main reason is the availability of information and community groups that the Internet provides,” said Obsidian.

From The Daily Beast

Dragonglass: The name accorded to volcanic glass or obsidian.

From The Daily Beast

Around, the floor was composed of solid dark green obsidian, as hard and transparent and sharp as bottle-glass.

From Project Gutenberg

Agates, cornelians, obsidian, are also among the products of this nature.

From Project Gutenberg

The creation legend of the Cakchiquels of Guatemala makes much of a mysterious, primeval and animated obsidian stone.

From Project Gutenberg

In the Melanesian myth, dawn is cut out of the body of night by Qat, armed with a knife of red obsidian.

From Project Gutenberg

There was obsidian, evidently brought from a distance—de Morgan thinks from Armenia, a thousand miles away.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• sunless
• unlighted
• unlit