breccia etymology

Etymology

The word "breccia" comes from the Italian word "breccia," which means "a breach" or "a gap."

Meaning and Origin

In geology, breccia is a type of sedimentary rock composed of broken pieces or fragments of other rocks, minerals, or fossils that have been cemented together. The fragments are typically angular and vary in size from small grains to large boulders.

Breccias are classified according to the size of the fragments they contain:

  • Rudstone: Fragments larger than 2 mm in diameter
  • Conglomerate: Fragments between 2 and 64 mm in diameter
  • Breccia: Fragments larger than 64 mm in diameter

Breccias can form in various ways, including:

  • Tectonic breccias: Formed by the breaking and mixing of rocks along fault lines.
  • Impact breccias: Formed by the impact of meteorites or asteroids on the Earth's surface.
  • Volcanic breccias: Formed by the fragmentation and welding of volcanic materials.
  • Autobreccias: Formed by the fracturing of a single rock unit, with the fragments remaining in place.

Breccias are found in various geological settings and can provide valuable information about Earth's history, including paleoenvironments, tectonic events, and volcanic eruptions.

breccia relate terms

  • anfractuous

    Etymology Latin anfractus a winding bend Proto Indo European h₂n̥k to ben

  • Brabant

    Etymology The name Brabant is thought to be derived from the Old Dutch words brabant or

  • bracken

    Etymology The word bracken comes from the Middle English word brake which ultimatel

  • brake

    Etymology The word brake has several etymological origins German brechen meaning

  • brake

    Etymology The word brake has several etymological origins German brechen meaning

  • brash

    Etymology The word brash is derived from Middle English brassen which itself is fro

  • breach

    Etymology Old French breche from Late Latin brecha from Celtic of unknown origin M

  • break

    Etymology Middle English breken breken Old English brecan Proto Germanic brekan Pro

  • breccia

    Etymology The word breccia comes from the Italian word breccia which means a breach

  • breeches

    Etymology Middle English breeches from Old English brec plural a garment worn by

  • brioche

    Etymology The word brioche is derived from the Old French word brier which means to

  • chamfer

    Etymology The word chamfer is derived from the Old French word chamfroir meaning t

  • defray

    Defray Etymology Borrowed from Middle French defreier from Old French desfreier desf

  • diffraction

    Etymology of Diffraction The word diffraction is derived from two Latin words Diffra

  • fractal

    Etymology The word fractal derives from the Latin term fractus meaning broken or

  • fraction

    Etymology The word fraction is derived from the Latin word fractio which means a b

  • fractious

  • fracture

    Etymology The word fracture comes from the Latin word fractura meaning a breaking I

  • fragile

    Etymology Latin fragilis Proto Indo European bhreg to break Meaning Br

  • fragility

    Etymology Late Middle English fragilitee from Anglo Norman French fragilitee from La

  • fragment

    Fragment Etymology Late Middle English from Old French fragment from Latin fragmentu

  • frail

    Etymology Middle English fraile from Anglo Norman French fraile Old French frele ul

  • frangible

    Etymology The word frangible is derived from the Latin word frangere meaning to bre

  • infraction

    Etymology From Latin infractio from infringere to break to violate from in

  • infringe

    Etymology Infringe comes from the Middle French word enfraindre meaning to break or

  • irrefragable

    Etymology Latin irrefrangibilis Prefix ir not Root frangere to break Suff

  • irrefrangible

    Etymology Latin irrefrangibilis unbreakable Late Latin infrangibilis unbreakable i

  • naufragous

    Etymology The word naufragous is derived from the Latin word naufragus which is a co

  • ossifrage

    Etymology The word ossifrage is derived from two Latin words Os bone Frango to

  • refract

    Etymology The word refract comes from the Latin word refringere which means to bre

  • refraction

    Etymology The word refraction originates from the Latin word refringere which mean

  • refrain

    Etymology Old French refraindre Medieval Latin refrangere Latin re back frang

  • refrangible

    Etymology The word refrangible is derived from the Latin word refringere which means

  • sassafras

    Etymology Middle English sasfras late 14th century Old French sassafras Latin sass

  • saxifrage

    Etymology The word saxifrage comes from the Latin words saxum meaning rock and

  • suffragan

    Etymology The word suffragan comes from the Latin word suffraganeus which is derived

  • suffrage

    Etymology Middle English suffrage c 1440 Anglo French suffrage 13th century La

  • pastoral

    Etymology The word pastoral derives from the Latin word pastor meaning shepherd I

  • remember

    Etymology The word remember comes from the Old French remembrer which is derived fro

  • temple

    Etymology The English word temple is derived from the Latin word templum which in t

  • coincidence

    Etymology Middle English coincidentia from Latin coincidere meaning to come togethe

  • realism

    Etymology Realism comes from the Latin res meaning thing or reality Meaning

  • dandy

    Etymology The word dandy is derived from the Scottish dander meaning to strut abou

  • inexorable

    Etymology The word inexorable comes from the Latin word inexorabilis which means u

  • scrutiny

    Etymology Scrutiny comes from Latin scrutinium meaning examination or inquiry It i

  • flamboyant

    Etymology The word flamboyant is derived from the Old French word flamboier meaning