obsidian

noun

ob·​sid·​i·​an əb-ˈsi-dē-ən 

: a dark natural glass formed by the cooling of molten lava

Examples of obsidian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The screen diffuses but also expands some reflections across a broader area, raising its backdrop from glossy obsidian to lighter charcoal. —Ryan Waniata, WIRED, 24 May 2024

Scorpios, naturally drawn to emotional depths, can benefit from using black obsidian, specifically to confront and release unresolved emotions or traumas. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024

The obsidian specifically came from the Pachuca Range, which is about 1,050 miles south of McLean and about 60 miles northeast of Mexico City. —Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024

Scattered across the building’s floor was a varied collection of objects, from large piles of raw flint and obsidian from Turkey to finished blades. —Andrew Lawler, Discover Magazine, 19 Mar. 2010

Word History

Etymology

earlier as adjective, "made of obsidian, resembling obsidian," borrowed from Latin obsidiānus, manuscript variant of obsiānus, from Obsius, traveler named by Pliny who found the stone in Ethiopia + -ānus -an entry 2

Note: The sole authority for the existence of the eponymous Obsius is Book 36 of the elder Pliny's Naturalis historia. Note that the Aethiopia of Pliny corresponded very roughly to the present-day states of Sudan and Ethiopia.

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

obsidian

noun

ob·​sid·​i·​an əb-ˈsid-ē-ən 

: a dark natural glass formed by the cooling of lava