dictionary help| obsidian | medical dictionary |
<chemical>
A kind of glass produced by volcanoes. It is usually of a black colour, and opaque, except in thin splinters.
In a thin section it often exhibits a fluidal structure, marked by the arrangement of microlites in the lines of the flow of the molten mass.
Origin: L. Obsidianus lapis, so named, according to Pliny, after one Obsidius, who discovered it in Ethiopia: cf.F. Obsidiane, obsidienne. The later editions of Pliny read Obsianus lapis, and Obsius, instead of Obsidianus lapis, and Obsidius.
(01 Mar 1998)
obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, obsessive personality < Prev | Next > obsolescence, obsolete, obsoleteness
Bookmark with:      | word visualiser | Go and visit our forums  |
