dunite

noun

du·nite ˈdü-ˌnīt

ˈdə-

: a granular igneous rock consisting chiefly of olivine

dunitic

dü-ˈni-tik

ˌdə-

adjective

Word History

Etymology

Mount Dun, New Zealand

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of dunite was in 1859

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

duniewassal

dunite

dunk

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dunite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dunite. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

verbose

Listen to the pronunciation of verbose

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Should that word have a hyphen?

Rack vs. Wrack

Are 'Funner' and 'Funnest' Real Words?

Popular in Wordplay

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

Better Ways to Say 'This Sucks'

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

Popular

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World