anorthitic
|a-nor-thi-tic|
🇺🇸
/ˌænɔrˈθɪtɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌænɔːˈθɪtɪk/
relating to anorthite
Etymology
'anorthitic' originates from the mineral name 'anorthite' + the adjectival suffix '-ic'. 'Anorthite' itself comes from Greek elements 'an-' (not) + 'orthos' (straight, correct), coined for the mineral name in the 19th century.
'anorthite' was coined in the 19th century from Greek roots and entered scientific vocabulary as the mineral name; the adjective 'anorthitic' formed later by adding the suffix '-ic' to refer to materials or properties related to that mineral.
Initially it referred specifically to the mineral 'anorthite'; over time the adjective 'anorthitic' came to be used more broadly in petrology to describe rocks or plagioclase compositions dominated by anorthite.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or composed of anorthite; containing a high proportion of the calcium-rich plagioclase mineral anorthite (used in mineralogy and petrology).
The lunar highlands are largely anorthitic, composed predominantly of anorthite-rich plagioclase.
Synonyms
Adjective 2
describing igneous rocks or textures that are characterized by or dominated by anorthite or anorthitic composition (e.g., anorthitic plagioclase).
Petrographic analysis showed an anorthitic composition in the plagioclase crystals of the sample.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/19 05:36