Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

dolerite

play
noun dol·er·ite \ˈdä-lə-ˌrīt\

Definition of dolerite

  1. 1 :  any of various coarse basalts

  2. 2 chiefly British :  diabase 3

doleritic

play \ˌdä-lə-ˈri-tik\ adjective

People Are Reading

alt-5991e113c97b3
Trending: Trump Calls Racism 'Repugnant'
image1458426927
Good Words for Strong Flavors
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Origin and Etymology of dolerite

French dolérite, from Greek doleros deceitful, from dolos deceit; from its being easily mistaken for diorite

Learn More about dolerite

  1. See words that rhyme with dolerite Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dolerite

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up dolerite? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

perfunctory

play

done merely as a duty

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

  2. white nationalist, white supremacist Trending in 2017

  3. bereft "Lacking something needed, wanted, or expected"

  4. impanel "To choose people to serve on a jury"

  5. cosmopolitan "Worldly"

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

dog-covering-face
Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

image1458426927
Food Words for Strong Flavors

A tasting menu of vivid flavor descriptions

alt-5993066a3afad
What's the Plural of 'Maitre d''?

Use this word to confuse a French speaker.

alt-598dca6eb95f8
Running After the History of 'Lackey'

Are lackeys lacking something?

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
name-more-food
Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game