Basalt’s
the dark, dense igneous rock of a lava flow or minor intrusion, composed essentially of labradorite and pyroxene and often displaying a columnar structure.
noun
a fine-grained dark basic igneous rock consisting of plagioclase feldspar, a pyroxene, and olivine: the most common volcanic rock and usually extrusive see flood basalt
a form of black unglazed pottery resembling basalt
n.
c.1600, from late latin basaltes, misspelling of latin basanites “very hard stone,” from greek basanites “a species of slate used to test gold,” from basanos “touchstone.” not connected with salt. said by pliny [“historia,” 36.58] to be an african word, perhaps egyptian bauhan “slate.” any hard, very dark rock would do as a touchstone; the -ssayer compared the streak left by the alleged gold with that of real gold or baser metals. hence greek basanizein “to be put to the test, examined closely, cross-examined, to be put to torture.”
basalt
(bə-sôlt’, bā’sôlt’)
a dark, fine-grained, igneous rock consisting mostly of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene, and sometimes olivine. basalt makes up most of the ocean floor and is the most common type of lava. it sometimes cools into characteristic hexagonal columns, as in the giant’s causeway in anterim, northern island. it is the fine-grained equivalent of gabbro.
basalt [(buh-sawlt, bay-sawlt)]
a hard, dense igneous rock that makes up much of the material in tectonic plates. the part of the earth’s crust beneath the oceans consists mainly of basalt whereas continental crust consists mainly of less dense rocks, such as granite. (see plate tectonics.)
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- Basaltic
the dark, dense igneous rock of a lava flow or minor intrusion, composed essentially of labradorite and pyroxene and often displaying a columnar structure. historical examples at this place the cliffs which overhang the southern bank presented a fine collection of basaltic columns. early western travels 1748-1846, volume 28 various no doubt the basaltic mountains […]
- Basanite
a basaltic rock composed chiefly of plagioclase, olivine, and augite. historical examples basanite, bas′an-īt, n. a kind of quartz serviceable for testing the purity of the precious metals by the marks made. chambers’s twentieth century dictionary (part 1 of 4: a-d) various basanite is also known as lydian stone or touchstone on account of its […]
- Bascinet
noun (armour) a variant spelling of basinet historical examples in the preceding chapter we noticed the method of attaching the camail to the bascinet. armour & weapons charles john ffoulkes the most popular of the light helmets at this period was the bascinet. armour & weapons charles john ffoulkes the above engraving represents a helmet, […]
- Bascule
a device operating like a balance or seesaw, especially an arrangement of a movable bridge (bascule bridge) by which the rising floor or section is counterbalanced by a weight. historical examples the -ssistants seized the condemned man, and pushed him on to the bascule. fantmas pierre souvestre bascule, bas′kūl, n. an apparatus of the lever […]
- Bascule bridge
a device operating like a balance or seesaw, especially an arrangement of a movable bridge (bascule bridge) by which the rising floor or section is counterbalanced by a weight. historical examples the cost has been set down at 65,000, or about one-thirtieth that of a suspension bridge, and one-third that of a bascule bridge. the […]