Checking saved dictionary data and trusted language sources. This will stop automatically if a source does not respond.
/ˌɔːθə(ʊ)paɪˈɹɒksiːn/ · noun
(mineralogy) Any pyroxene that forms orthorhombic crystals..
Biotite from lava flows is invariably rimmed or totally replaced by an exceedingly fine-grained, almost isotropic intergrowth of K-feldspar, orthopyroxene, cordierite and ilmenite, probably as a result of dehydration of the magma on eruption. Cordierite and orthopyroxene (5% each) occur as euhedral phenocrysts 1 to 2 mm in diameter, but cordierite can be up to 5 mm across and occur as anhedral ovoids.
The meteorite contains abundant, distinct to poorly defined chondrules (about 40 volume %). They are enclosed in a recrystallised, heavily iron-stained, but coherent matrix of irregular fragments of olivine and orthopyroxene, together with fragmented chrondrules and small grains and interstitial areas of oligoclase.
However, the relatively low Al₂O₃ content of the co-existing orthopyroxenes (2.2 wt%) is not consistent with an upper mantle origin (Binns et al. 1970) and therefore probably crystallised at crustal pressures.
Use orthopyroxene when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Orthopyroxene means (mineralogy) Any pyroxene that forms orthorhombic crystals..
The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
Biotite from lava flows is invariably rimmed or totally replaced by an exceedingly fine-grained, almost isotropic intergrowth of K-feldspar, orthopyroxene, cordierite and ilmenite, probably as a result of dehydration of the magma on eruption. Cordierite and orthopyroxene (5% each) occur as euhedral phenocrysts 1 to 2 mm in diameter, but cordierite can be up to 5 mm across and occur as anhedral ovoids.
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.