phonolite

noun

pho·​no·​lite ˈfō-nə-ˌlīt 

: a gray or green volcanic rock consisting essentially of orthoclase and nepheline

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, Tenerife hasn't produced another eruption like this since, but a paper by Ablay and others (1995) suggested that there could be more of the explosive phonolite magma lurking underneath the caldera. —Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 29 Apr. 2016

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from phono- phono- + -lite -lite, as loan translation of German Klingstein; so called from the metallic ringing sound it makes when struck

Note: The word was perhaps introduced by the French mineralogist Alexandre Brongniart (1770-1847), who used it in Traité élémentaire de minéralogie, tome premier (Paris, 1807), p. 353.

First Known Use

1831, in the meaning defined above