gneiss [nahys] ExamplesWord Origin noun
- a metamorphic rock, generally made up of bands that differ in color and composition, some bands being rich in feldspar and quartz, others rich in hornblende or mica.
Origin of gneiss Borrowed into English from German around 1750–60 Related formsgneiss·ic, adjectiveCan be confusedgneiss nice (see usage note at nice) Examples from the Web for gneiss Historical Examples of gneiss
Everywhere granite, gneiss, or other primitive rocks, show themselves.
Mayne Reid
Here and there are mixtures of schist, gneiss, and porphyry.
Enos A. Mills
The southern parts of this range of mountains are composed of gneiss and granite.
Franz Boas
My ground was on the gneiss side of the geological division.
Bram Stoker
Come,” I said, “let us go back till we find the joining of the gneiss and granite.
Bram Stoker
British Dictionary definitions for gneiss gneiss noun
- any coarse-grained metamorphic rock that is banded and foliated: represents the last stage in the metamorphism of rocks before melting
Derived Formsgneissic, gneissoid or gneissose, adjectiveWord Origin for gneiss C18: from German Gneis, probably from Middle High German ganeist spark; related to Old Norse gneista to give off sparks Word Origin and History for gneiss n.
1757, from German Gneiss “type of metamorphic rock,” probably from Middle High German gneist “spark” (so called because the rock glitters), from Old High German gneisto “spark” (cf. Old English gnast “spark,” Old Norse gneisti).
gneiss in Science gneiss [nīs]
- A highly foliated, coarse-grained metamorphic rock consisting of light-colored layers, usually of quartz and feldspar, alternating with dark-colored layers of other minerals, usually hornblende and biotite. Individual grains are often visible between layers. Gneiss forms as the result of the regional metamorphism of igneous, sedimentary, or other metamorphic rocks.