| ophite | <chemical> A greenish spotted porphyry, being a diabase whose pyroxene has been altered to uralite; first found in the Pyreness. So called from the coloured spots which give it a mottled appearance. Ophi"ic. Origin: L. Ophites, Gr. (sc), a kind of marble spotted like a serpent: cf. F. Ophite. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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