fulgurite

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈfʌlɡjəraɪt/ UK /ˈfʌlɡjəraɪt/ See IPA manual

Freq #160349

Meanings

1

noun
a glassy, often branching tube or crust formed when lightning fuses sand, soil, or rock

The lightning strike left a fragile fulgurite extending through the dune sand.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a glassy, often branching... fossilized lightninglightning glass

Word family

Forms fulgurites

Derived forms fulguritic

Related forms lightningsilicalechatelieritevitrification

Etymology

Formed from Latin fulgur, 'lightning,' + the mineral suffix -ite. The name refers to material fused or vitrified by the intense heat of a lightning discharge.

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

markdown