porphyry
English
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
porphyry¹
- /ˈpɔɹ.fɪ.ɹi/
- /ˈpɔɹ.fə.ɹi/
Where it comes from
From Old French porfire, from Ancient Greek πορφυρίτης λίθος (porphurítēs líthos, “purple stone”), from πορφύρα (porphúra, “purple-fish, purple dye”).
noun porphyries
- A hard igneous rock consisting of large crystals in a fine-grained matrix.
- A purple-red rock of this kind. A quartet of porphyry warriors, locked for all time in stern embrace outside St. Mark's Basilica, were probably carved in the Fourth Century. They are believed to represent the Roman Emperor Diocletian and the three men who held power with him.
Porphyry²
proper noun
- A Tyrian Neoplatonic philosopher.
Translations
Talk about this word "porphyry." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/porphyry. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. porphyry. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/porphyry "porphyry." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/porphyry.Cite this
@misc{porphyry_2026,
title = {porphyry},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/porphyry},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}