obsidian

noun ob·sid·i·an \ əb-ˈsi-dē-ən \

Definition of obsidian

:a dark natural glass formed by the cooling of molten lava

See obsidian defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of obsidian from the Web

The significance of dragonglass (obsidian) this season, along with Gendry's skill as a smith highlights the importance of Davos' fake name for him.

— megan mccluskey, Time, "This May Be the Deeper Meaning of Gendry's Fake Name on Game of Thrones," 15 Aug. 2017
Known as obsidian in the real world, dragonglass kills white walkers and also creates them if stabbed into a human heart by the Children of the Forest.

— chris barton, latimes.com, "'Game of Thrones': Three burning questions and six characters we'd like to see play a big role in Season 7," 15 July 2017
A few of the victims were bound before death, and some have arrowheads of stone and obsidian embedded in their bones.

— hillary waterman, Discover Magazine, "This Means War!," 10 Mar. 2017
Drops of scarlet blood on a hard tarmac black as obsidian.

— gideon lewis-kraus, New York Times, "What We See When We Look at Travel Photography," 22 Sep. 2016

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

Origin and Etymology of obsidian

New Latin obsidianus, from Latin obsidianus lapis, false manuscript reading for obsianus lapis, literally, stone of Obsius, from Obsius, its supposed discoverer

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1794

See Words from the same year