phonolite

noun

pho·​no·​lite ˈfō-nə-ˌlīt 

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

Examples of phonolite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That eruption was quite different than the current, where instead of just basanite (similar to basalt) lava flows, the eruption had the extrusion of lava flows and sticky phonolite (similar to rhyolite) domes or spines totalling ~0.07 cubic miles (0.3 cubic kilometers) of material. —Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2021

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

Rhymes for phonolite

• acolyte
• aconite
• allanite
• alunite
• amberlite
• ammonite
• amorite
• amphitrite
• analyte
• anchorite
• andesite
• anhydrite