Oolite

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈəʊəlʌɪt/

Origin

From - + lite + -, after German Oolit.

Full definition of oolite

Noun

1. (geology) A rock consisting of spherical grains within a mineral cortex accreted around a nucleus, often of quartz grains.
• 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society 2011, p. 170:Here and there are beds of oolites, for example, made of little rounded grains – like millet seed – that form only in agitated warm waters, such as you might find off the Bahamas today.
2. (countable, rare) An ooid or oolith.

Synonyms

• ooid
• oolith
• egg-stone

Derived terms

• oolitic