ETYM Italian granito granite, adj, grainy, p. p. of granire to make grainy, from Latin granum grain; cf. French granit. Related to Grain.
1. Plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture.
2. Something having the quality of granite (unyielding firmness).
3. Granites often form large intrusions in the core of mountain ranges, and they are usually surrounded by zones of metamorphic rock (rock that has been altered by heat or pressure). Granite areas have characteristic moorland scenery. In exposed areas the bedrock may be weathered along joints and cracks to produce a tor, consisting of rounded blocks that appear to have been stacked upon one another.
4. Coarse-grained igneous rock, typically consisting of the minerals quartz, feldspar, and mica. It may be pink or gray, depending on the composition of the feldspar. Granites are chiefly used as building materials. + prikaži više