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schlie·ren

(shlîrən)

pl.n.

1. Geology Irregular dark or light streaks in plutonic igneous rock that differ in composition from the principal mass.

2. Regions of a transparent medium, as of a flowing gas, that are visible because their densities are different from that of the bulk of the medium.

[German, pl. of Schliere, from dialectal Shliere, streaks, from Middle High German slier, mud, slime, from Old High German sclierrun, pieces, bits.]

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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