magma

[mag-muh] /ˈmæg mə/
noun, plural magmas, magmata
[mag-muh-tuh] /ˈmæg mə tə/ (Show IPA)
1.
Geology. molten material beneath or within the earth's crust, from which igneous rock is formed.
2.
any crude mixture of finely divided mineral or organic matter.
3.
Chemistry, Pharmacology. a paste composed of solid and liquid matter.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English < Latin: dregs, leavings < Greek mágma kneaded mass, salve, equivalent to mag- (base of mássein to knead, press; see mass) + -ma noun suffix of result
Related forms
magmatic
[mag-mat-ik] /mægˈmæt ɪk/ (Show IPA), adjective
magmatism, noun
Can be confused
lava, magma.
Examples from the web for magma
  • The result is a shower of new particles, which give clues to the nature of the cosmic magma.
  • With the magma chamber emptied, the surface collapses.
  • magma chambers still lie beneath many geothermal regions.
  • Granite is magma that slowly cooled underground into a hodgepodge of crystalline minerals.
  • Restoring the magma means restoring perfect symmetry to the universe.
  • Long-distance magma flow triggered thousands of earthquakes.
  • Scientists create the first movie depicting the inner workings of an active magma chamber.
  • Water then trickles down, encounters magma and is heated.
  • magma appeared in abundance and in some locations formed vast molten oceans.
  • The drilling expedition halted before reaching the intended depths after hitting active rhyolite magma.
British Dictionary definitions for magma

magma

/ˈmæɡmə/
noun (pl) -mas, -mata (-mətə)
1.
a paste or suspension consisting of a finely divided solid dispersed in a liquid
2.
hot molten rock, usually formed in the earth's upper mantle, some of which finds its way into the crust and onto the earth's surface, where it solidifies to form igneous rock
Derived Forms
magmatic (mæɡˈmætɪk) adjective
magmatism, noun
Word Origin
C15, from Latin: dregs (of an ointment), from Greek: salve made by kneading, from massein to knead
Word Origin and History for magma
n.

mid-15c., "dregs," from Latin magma "dregs of an ointment," from Greek magma "thick unguent, ointment," from root of massein "to knead, mold," from PIE *mag- "to knead" (see macerate). Geological meaning "molten rock" is 1859. Related: Magmalic.

magma in Medicine

magma mag·ma (māg'mə)
n.

  1. A mixture of finely divided solids with enough liquid to produce a pasty mass.

  2. A suspension of particles in a liquid, such as milk of magnesia.

magma in Science
magma
  (māg'mə)   
Plural magmata (māg-mä'tə) or magmas
The molten rock material that originates under the Earth's crust and forms igneous rock when it has cooled. When magma cools and solidifies beneath the Earth's surface, it forms what are known as intrusive rocks. When it reaches the Earth's surface, it flows out as lava and forms extrusive (or volcanic) rocks.
magma in Culture

magma definition


Molten rock usually located deep within the mantle of the Earth that occasionally comes to the surface through cracks in the mantle or through the eruption of volcanoes.

Note: When magma cools and solidifies, it forms igneous rock, of which lava is one type.
magma in Technology
symbolic mathematics, tool
A program used for heavy duty algebraic computation in many branches of mathematics. Magma, developed by John Cannon and associates at the University of Sydney, succeeded Cayley. It runs at several hundred sites.
E-mail: .
(https://maths.usyd.edu.au:8000/u/magma/).
[W. Bosma, J. Cannon and C. Playoust, The Magma algebra system I: The user language, J. Symb. Comp., 24, 3/4, 1997, 235-265].
(2000-12-21)