basalt

noun

: a dark gray to black dense to fine-grained igneous rock that consists of basic plagioclase, augite, and usually magnetite
basaltic adjective

Examples of basalt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This grand basalt arch faces the Arabian Sea’s edge and is reminiscent of grand European and Indian palaces. Shalbha Sarda, Architectural Digest, 4 Mar. 2025 Mare Crisium is a basalt plain that covers about 68,000 square miles (176,000 square kilometers) of the moon, making it about the size of the U.S. state of Missouri, according to NASA. Tariq Malik, Space.com, 1 Mar. 2025 Starch residue on flat basalt anvils and small, round pounding rocks also add grist to the argument that the Paleo Diet included heavy portions of plants, rather than the meat-dominant version many people have now adopted as a weight-loss strategy. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025 And even now, the ground around the basalt pillar raised in their memory is still scattered with the bones of the livestock that perished with them. The Week Uk, theweek, 23 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for basalt

Word History

Etymology

Latin basaltes, manuscript variant of basanites touchstone, from Greek basanitēs (lithos), from basanos touchstone, from Egyptian bḫnw

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of basalt was in 1601

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Basalt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basalt. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

basalt

noun
: a dark gray to black usually fine-grained igneous rock
basaltic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on basalt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!