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Diabase

(Science: chemical) a basic, dark-coloured, 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.

Origin: f. Diabase, fr. Gr. A crossing or passing over, fr.; _ to go; so called by Brongniart, because it passes over to diorite.