c. 1600, from Late Latin basaltes, misspelling of Latin basanites "very hard stone," from Greek basanites "a species of slate used to test gold," from basanos "touchstone." Not connected with salt. Said by Pliny ["Historia," 36.58] to be an African word, perhaps Egyptian bauhan "slate." Any hard, very dark rock would do as a touchstone; the assayer compared the streak left by the alleged gold with that of real gold or baser metals. Hence Greek basanizein "to be put to the test, examined closely, cross-examined, to be put to torture."
实用例句
1. Her love was a fire playing ineffectually over a rock of basalt.
她的爱,如同一团火,徒劳地烧炼着一块玄武岩石.
来自辞典例句
2. Basalt is the commonest volcanic rock.
玄武岩是最普通的火山岩.
来自辞典例句
3. Basalt is needed to surface a road or to build a break water.
需要用玄武岩来铺设路面或修防洪堤.
来自辞典例句
4. Huoshan Dan black texture, basalt, granite, marble, and so on.
质地有黑色火山石 、 玄武岩 、 花岗岩 、 大理石等.
来自互联网
5. The paper introduced the development and preparation of continuous basalt fiber.
