TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

VOLCANIC GLASS [1 record]

Record 1 2016-02-03

English

Subject field(s)
  • Petrography
DEF

A black or dark-colored volcanic glass, usually of rhyolite composition, characterized by conchoidal fracture ... sometimes banded or [with] microlites.

CONT

Volcanic glass, or obsidian, is formed when the intense heat of a volcano fuses sand. Hard, black, and shiny, obsidian forms sharp edges when broken and can be easily worked to make bowls, mirrors, jewellery, knives, arrows, and spearheads. The Native peoples of western Canada traded obsidian from the Yukon and Alaska up and down the Pacific coast.

OBS

obsidian: Usage of this term goes back as far as Pliny, who described the rock from Ethiopia.

OBS

Iceland agate: a jewelry term.

OBS

hyalopsite: obsolete name for obsidian.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Pétrographie
DEF

Roche magmatique effusive entièrement vitreuse, noire, à cassure lisse conchoïdale brillante, à composition chimique de rhyolite, ou parfois de trachyte, anhydre ou presque (H2O<3 %); [...]

CONT

Le verre volcanique, ou obsidienne, se forme lorsque la chaleur intense d'un volcan fait fondre le sable. L'obsidienne, qui est dure, noire et luisante, a des bords tranchants lorsqu'elle se casse et peut être facilement travaillée pour faire bols, miroirs, bijoux, couteaux, flèches et pointes de lance. Les peuples autochtones de l'ouest du Canada échangeaient l'obsidienne du Yukon et de l'Alaska le long de la côte du Pacifique.

OBS

obsidienne : de Obsidius, personnage qui, selon Pline, aurait découvert cette roche.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Petrografía
DEF

Roca volcánica, vítrea, con estructura de microesferolitos.

CONT

La obsidiana, de la cual existen algunas variedades, es una lava que presenta el aspecto de un vidrio negro o muy oscuro y que, al fragmentarse, tiene superficies concoideas.

Save record 1

Copyright notice for the TERMIUM Plus® data bank

© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau

Features

Language Portal of Canada

Access a collection of Canadian resources on all aspects of English and French, including quizzes.

Writing tools

The Language Portal’s writing tools have a new look! Easy to consult, they give you access to a wealth of information that will help you write better in English and French.

Glossaries and vocabularies

Access Translation Bureau glossaries and vocabularies.

Date Modified: