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oph·i·o·lite

(ŏfē-ə-līt′, ōfē-)

Any of a group of rocks, especially mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks, thought to have formed during crustal thinning at a mid-ocean ridge and to have been subsequently thrust onto continental crust.

[French ophiolite : Greek ophis, snake (in reference to the typically greenish serpentine rocks, diabase, and peridotite found in ophiolites) + French -lite, -lite; see -LITE.]

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:

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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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