basalts
plural of basalt
Source: Wiktionary
Ba*salt", n. Etym: [N. basaltes (an African word), a dark and hard species of marble found in Ethiopia: cf. F. basalte.]
1. (Geol.)
Definition: A rock of igneous origin, consisting of augite and triclinic feldspar, with grains of magnetic or titanic iron, and also bottle- green particles of olivine frequently disseminated.
Note: It is usually of a greenish black color, or of some dull brown shade, or black. It constitutes immense beds in some regions, and also occurs in veins or dikes cutting through other rocks. It has often a prismatic structure as at the Giant's Causeway, in Ireland, where the columns are as regular as if the work of art. It is a very tough and heavy rock, and is one of the best materials for macadamizing roads.
2. An imitation, in pottery, of natural basalt; a kind of black porcelain.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
21 February 2025
(noun) some artifact that has been restored or reconstructed; “the restoration looked exactly like the original”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
