syenite

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Syēnītēs, from Syēnē (“Aswan”), because it was anciently quarried there.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈsaɪənaɪt/

Noun

syenite (countable and uncountable, plural syenites)

  1. (geology, obsolete) Granite.
  2. (geology) An igneous rock composed of feldspar and hornblende.
    • 1906, James George Frazer, Adonis, Attis, Osiris, page 15:
      The temple, of which some massive hewn blocks and a fine column of Syenite granite still mark the site, occupied a terrace facing the source of the river and commanding a magnificent prospect.
    • 1954, J. C. Olson, D. R. Shawe, L. C. Pray, W. N. Sharp, Rare-Earth Mineral Deposits of the Mountain Pass District, San Bernadino County, California, U.S. Geological Survey, Professional Paper 261, page 22:
      Much of the southern half of the southeastern body is a mafic syenite, slightly more felsic than the shonkinite.

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