wacke
|wack-e|
/ˈwækə/
poorly sorted sandstone with clay matrix
Etymology
'wacke' originates from German, specifically the word 'Wacke', where it was used for certain soft or crumbly rocks.
'wacke' entered English usage from German in geological contexts in the 18th and 19th centuries and was adopted to refer to the poorly sorted sandstones now called 'wacke' or 'graywacke'.
Initially, it meant 'a soft or friable rock' in German, but over time in English geological usage it came to denote a specific type of poorly sorted sandstone (graywacke).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a type of poorly sorted, dark coarse-grained sandstone or sedimentary rock in which angular rock fragments are set in a fine-grained clay or silt matrix; often used interchangeably with 'graywacke'.
The cliff was composed mainly of wacke deposited during an ancient submarine turbidity current.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/16 15:40