Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of a series of igneous rocks similar in composition to basalt but having more silica and iron and less aluminum.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun geology An igneous basaltic rock, formed from magma rich in magnesium and iron.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[After Tholei, (Tholey), municipality in Saarland, Germany, where it is found.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From German Tholeiit, from Tholei, a village in western Germany.

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