Porphyry Definition

pôrfə-rē
porphyries
noun
porphyries
A type of rock quarried in ancient times in Egypt, with large feldspar crystals contained in a purplish groundmass.
Webster's New World
Any igneous rock with large, distinct crystals, esp. of alkali feldspar, embedded in a fine-grained matrix.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
  • porphyritic rock

Other Word Forms of Porphyry

Noun

Singular:
porphyry
Plural:
porphyries

Origin of Porphyry

  • Middle English porphiri, porfurie from Old French porfire from Italian porfiro from Medieval Latin porphyrium from Latin porphyrītēs from Greek porphurītēs from porphurā shellfish yielding purple dye, purple (from its color)

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Ancient Greek πορφυρίτες λίθος ("purple stone").

    From Wiktionary

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