gabbro

noun

gab·​bro ˈga-(ˌ)brō 

plural gabbros

: a granular igneous rock composed essentially of calcic plagioclase, a ferromagnesian mineral, and accessory minerals

gabbroic

ga-ˈbrō-ik 

adjective

Examples of gabbro in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gravestones can be made from plutonic rocks (after Pluto, the earlier name for Hades), like gabbro and granite; metamorphic rocks, like slate and marble; and sedimentary rocks, like sandstone and limestone. —David Bressan, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Since 2005, the Savage Stone Quarry has mined a mineral called Baltimore gabbro, which is used for road beds, riprap and airport runways, by blasting apart chunks of rock in a large open pit, situated between Interstate 95 and Route 1. —Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 5 July 2024

While at Pomona, Jade Star and I extracted zircon from the rhyolites and from one gabbro as well. —Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 22 July 2011

Sometimes, strange reactions occur, like generating a gabbro after throwing olivine crystals into the molten basalt. —Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2013

The rise itself is a large plateau about the size of California that contains 2,500,000 cubic kilometers of most basalt and gabbro (the stuff of oceanic crust). —Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 6 Sep. 2013

Not getting a sample of this gabbro was frustrating, but scientists are already extracting valuable lessons from the momentary failure. —Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2021

Basalt and gabbro rocks, for example, have tiny defects in their crystals that could release electrical charges into the air. —Christina Nunez, National Geographic, 16 Apr. 2019

The rise itself is a large plateau about the size of California that contains 2,500,000 cubic kilometers of most basalt and gabbro (the stuff of oceanic crust). —Erik Klemetti, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2013

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian (Tuscan), perhaps going back to Vulgar Latin *gabrum, altered from Latin glabr-, glaber "hairless, smooth" — more at glad entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1776, in the meaning defined above