breccia

noun brec·cia \ ˈbre-ch(ē-)ə \

|Updated on: 5 Jun 2018

Definition of breccia

: a rock composed of sharp fragments embedded in a fine-grained matrix (such as sand or clay)

Recent Examples of breccia from the Web

The resulting debris—including small rock chunks, breccias of rock fragments fused together, and glass forged in the high heat of the impact—contained water trapped within.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "NASA's High-Speed Cannon Used to Explore the Origins of Water on Earth," 26 Apr. 2018
At an impact angle of 45 degrees, for instance, about 30 percent of the water was captured by a glasslike substance and the mix of impact melt and rock fragments called breccia.

— james gorman, BostonGlobe.com, "There’s a lot of water on Earth. How did it get here?," 15 May 2018
At an impact angle of 45 degrees, for instance, about 30 percent of the water was captured by a glasslike substance and the mix of impact melt and rock fragments called breccia.

— New York Times, "How Asteroids May Have Brought Water to Earth," 15 May 2018
The clasts are commonly angular producing a breccia-like appearance.

— brian romans, WIRED, "Friday Field Foto #47: Paleozoic glacial tillite," 18 Apr. 2008

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breccia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.