syenite
noun/ˈsaɪənaɪt/
Etymology Borrowed from Latin Syēnītēs, from Syēnē (“Aswan”), because it was anciently quarried there.
- The temple, of which some massive hewn blocks and a fine column of Syenite granite still mark the site, occupied a terrace facing the source of the river and commanding a magnificent prospect.1906, James George Frazer, Adonis, Attis, Osiris, page 15:
- Much of the southern half of the southeastern body is a mafic syenite, slightly more felsic than the shonkinite.1954, J. C. Olson, D. R. Shawe, L. C. Pray, W. N. Sharp, Rare-Earth Mineral Deposits of the Mountain Pass District, San Bernadino County, California, U.S. Geological Survey, Professional Paper 261, page 22:
- Derived terms
- microsyenite, nepheline syenite, syenitic