n.
Pronunciation: b ə - ' so ̇ lt, ' b ā - ˌ
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin basaltes, manuscript variant of basanites touchstone, from Greek basanit ē s ( lithos ), from basanos touchstone, from Egyptian b ḫ nw
Date: 1601
: a dark gray to black dense to fine-grained igneous rock that consists of basic plagioclase, augite, and usually magnetite
– ba · sal · tic \ b ə - ' so ̇ l-tik \ adjective