Tyndall stone

English

Etymology

After the town of Tyndall, Manitoba, where the stone is quarried, in turn named after Irish physicist John Tyndall (1820–93). Tyndall, Tindall (“inhabitant of the Tyne river valley”) < Tyne.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɪndəl stoʊn/

Noun

Tyndall stone (usually uncountable, plural Tyndall stones)

1. (Canada) A dolomitic limestone quarried in the vicinity of Tyndall, Manitoba, Canada, famous for its pervasive mottling and numerous fossils.
   • 1994, Carol Shields, The Stone Diaries, Toronto: Penguin., →ISBN, page 64:

     More and more my father chooses to decorate the stone surfaces with elaborate cipher, even though Tyndall stone, with its mottled coloring, is thought to be resistant to fine carving.

Synonyms

• Tyndall limestone