igneous rock
1
4.1
- noun
- /ˈɪɡniəs rɑk/
- Specialized
:
roca ígnea
- I'd say it's igneous rock formed by some sort of eruption.
- igneous rocks formations
Examples
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It's an igneous rock!
Blog text (21) -
So would that make this an igneous rock or a sedimentary rock?
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He asked the students to read the first section, focused on igneous rocks.
Academic text (2014) -
We thought that dalmatian stone looked more like an igneous rock than jasper.
Blog text (21) -
Igneous rocks were selected due to their ability to better withstand intense heat and not crack, and because they do not have quartz or other minerals that explode when heated.
Academic text (2017) -
The geologist explained that basalt is a common type of igneous rock formed from cooled lava.
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Visitors to the park can see large formations of igneous rock that were created by volcanic activity.
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In the science class, we learned about how igneous rock is formed when magma cools and solidifies.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'igneous' explicitly encodes origin from solidified magma or lava, so when combined with 'rock' the phrase literally denotes rock formed by cooling of molten material. This is a fully compositional, literal noun phrase (and parallels equivalents in other languages), so a learner who knows both constituent words can readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Igneous rock gets its name from igneous, a word for 'fire', and from rock, because these rocks form when very hot, melted rock or lava cools and hardens. So igneous rock today means rock that was made when melted rock cooled and became solid.