Trachyte
/ˈtræk.aɪt/noun
A fine-grained volcanic rock rich in alkali feldspar, commonly found in lava flows and domes.
Did you know?Trachyte comes from the same Greek root as words for “roughness,” and ancient science used that root to describe surfaces you could feel before you could explain them.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
τραχύς (trachýs)
“rough, shaggy, harsh”
Late Latin
Latin
trachytes
“a rough stone”
19th Century
French
trachyte
“a volcanic rock with a rough texture”
Modern English
English
trachyte
“a type of volcanic igneous rock”