basalt

UK: /ˈbæsɔːlt/

US: /bəˈsɔlt, ˈbæsɔlt, ˈbeɪsɔlt/

US: (bə sôlt′, bas′ôlt, bā′sôlt)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ba•salt /bəˈsɔlt, ˈbæsɔlt, ˈbeɪsɔlt/   n. [uncountable]

1. Rocks the dark, dense rock produced from lava.

ba•sal•tic, ba•sal•tine /bəˈsɔltɪn, -taɪn/  adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ba•salt  (bə sôlt′, bas′ôlt, bā′sôlt), n. 

1. Rocks the dark, dense igneous rock of a lava flow or minor intrusion, composed essentially of labradorite and pyroxene and often displaying a columnar structure.

• Egyptian bh̬n(w) graywacke) + -ītēs -ite¹
• Greek basaní̄tēs (líthos) touchstone, equivalent. to básan(os) touchstone (ultimately
• Latin basaltēs, a misreading, in mss. of Pliny, of basanītēs
• 1595–1605;

ba•sal′tic, ba•sal•tine  (bə sôl′tin, -tīn), adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

basalt / ˈbæsɔːlt/ noun

1. a fine-grained dark basic igneous rock consisting of plagioclase feldspar, a pyroxene, and olivine: the most common volcanic rock and usually extrusive
2. a form of black unglazed pottery resembling basalt

Etymology: 18th Century: from Late Latin basaltēs, variant of basanītēs, from Greek basanitēs touchstone, from basanos, of Egyptian origin

baˈsaltic adjective