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mel·a·phyre

(mĕlə-fīr′)

A dark igneous porphyry embedded with feldspar crystals.

[French mélaphyre : Greek melās, black + French porphyre, porphyry (from Medieval Latin porphyrium; see PORPHYRY).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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