Igneous Rock
/ˈɪɡ.ni.əs rɑːk/noun
A rock formed when molten magma or lava cools and solidifies.
Did you know?The word igneous descends from Latin ignis, “fire,” the same ancient root behind ignite, making every igneous rock linguistically a piece of “fire.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*egni-
“Fire; a reconstructed ancient root associated with words for fire.”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
agni
“Fire, especially sacred sacrificial fire personified as the deity Agni.”
Ancient Latin
Latin
ignis
“Fire.”
Classical Latin
Latin
igneus
“Of fire, fiery, or belonging to fire.”
17th Century
English
igneous
“Fiery or produced by fire; later applied specifically to rocks formed from molten material.”
18th Century
English
rock
“A mass of hard mineral substance; borrowed through Old French roche from an older Germanic or Celtic source.”
Modern English
English
igneous rock
“Rock created when magma or lava cools and solidifies.”