: having or being a rock fabric in which lath-shaped plagioclase crystals are enclosed in later formed augite
Word History
Etymology
ophite "rock with snake-like markings, serpentine" (borrowed from Latin ophītēs, borrowed from Greek ophī́tēs [líthos] "snake-like [stone]," from óphis "snake" + -itēs -ite entry 1) + -ic entry 1 — more at ophidian
First Known Use
1870, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near ophitic
Cite this Entry
“Ophitic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ophitic. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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