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chert

noun
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\ ˈchərt How to pronounce chert (audio) , ˈchat How to pronounce chert (audio) \

Definition of chert

: a rock resembling flint and consisting essentially of a large amount of fibrous chalcedony with smaller amounts of cryptocrystalline quartz and amorphous silica
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Other Words from chert

cherty \ ˈchər-​tē How to pronounce cherty (audio) , ˈcha-​ \ adjective

Examples of chert in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The tools—six sharp brown chert flakes and a scraper—make a much clearer case. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Archaeologists find 300,000-year-old stone tools in Saudi Arabia," 29 Oct. 2018 The chert that Otzi used was mined from three different areas, which were as far as 40 miles away, Dr. Wierer said. — Nicholas St. Fleur, New York Times, "The Final Hours of the Iceman’s Tools," 21 June 2018 The tools—six sharp brown chert flakes and a scraper—make a much clearer case. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Archaeologists find 300,000-year-old stone tools in Saudi Arabia," 29 Oct. 2018 McKillop and Aoyama examined the edges of 20 chert blades from the site under a microscope. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Small Mayan saltworks could have supplied thousands, preserved food," 9 Oct. 2018 The 150-foot-long and 75-foot-tall surface is one of the largest chert slickensides exposures in California. — Thomas Graham, SFChronicle.com, "Walking these seven hills of San Francisco a peak experience," 28 June 2018 And in his final moments, the Iceman ran out of chert to fix his tools. — Nicholas St. Fleur, New York Times, "The Final Hours of the Iceman’s Tools," 21 June 2018 The chert that Otzi used was mined from three different areas, which were as far as 40 miles away, Dr. Wierer said. — Nicholas St. Fleur, New York Times, "The Final Hours of the Iceman’s Tools," 21 June 2018 His antler retoucher, for instance, bore the scars of striking chert at an oblique angle in the direction a right-handed flintknapper would use. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Ötzi the Iceman spent his last days trying to repair his tools," 22 June 2018

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

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First Known Use of chert

1679, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for chert

origin unknown

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Time Traveler for chert

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The first known use of chert was in 1679

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Cite this Entry

“Chert.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chert. Accessed 26 January 2020.

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Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with chert

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chert

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