diabase Meaning, Definition & Usage

F. diabase, fr. Gr. a crossing or passing over, fr. + to go; -- so called by Brongniart, because it passes over to diorite.

(Min.) A basic, dark-colored, holocrystalline, igneous rock, consisting essentially of a triclinic feldspar and pyroxene with magnetic iron; -- often limited to rocks pretertiary in age. It includes part of what was early called greenstone.