greenstone

noun

green·​stone ˈgrēn-ˌstōn How to pronounce greenstone (audio)
1
2
: any of numerous usually altered dark green compact rocks (such as diorite)

Examples of greenstone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fractures and fissures on the jade and greenstone ornaments were also signs of burning at high temperatures. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 3 May 2024 While filled with valuable artifacts that signaled royalty—such as a greenstone mask usually buried with rulers—the tomb was arranged unexpectedly. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024 There are just two notable surviving chunks of Archean crust: the Barbeton greenstone in South Africa and the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Corey S Powell, Discover Magazine, 26 Aug. 2015 Oyster shells and greenstone were equated with life, vitality and solar rebirth in the sea. Franz Lidz Meghan Dhaliwal, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2022 The team also uncovered a greenstone mask, and the skulls of a puma and a wolf. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2021 The local Consulate of Mexico will accept Olmec greenstone sculptures, a figure from the city of Zacatecas, bowls that were buried with tombs, and other clay figurines that date back thousands of years. Terry Tang, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 July 2022 The chamber where the deer carvings are located held the remains of up to ten people, some of them cremated, as well as a whetstone, a greenstone ax and a flint knife. Livia Gershon, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 June 2021 The geology of northern Ontario and a swath of northern Minnesota are similar, all belonging to what’s called the Abitibi-Wawa greenstone belt. Mike Hughlett, Star Tribune, 22 Oct. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of greenstone was in 1658

Dictionary Entries Near greenstone

Cite this Entry

“Greenstone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/greenstone. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on greenstone

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!