— basaltic, basaltine /beuh sawl"tin, -tuyn/ , adj.
/beuh sawlt", bas"awlt, bay"sawlt/ , n.
the dark, dense igneous rock of a lava flow or minor intrusion, composed essentially of labradorite and pyroxene and often displaying a columnar structure.
[ 1595-1605; basaltes, a misreading, in mss. of Pliny, of basanites basanítes ( líthos ) touchstone, equiv. to básan ( os ) touchstone (ult. bhn ( w ) graywacke) + -ites -ITE 1 ]