petrescent

English

Etymology

Latin petra (“rock, stone”), from Ancient Greek.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛˈtɹɛsənt/
• Rhymes: -ɛsənt

Adjective

petrescent (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Petrifying; converting into stone.
   • 1672, Robert Boyle, Origin and Virtues of Gems:

     in the solid substance of the stone; […] this compact and ponderous body was made stony, by the supervention of some petrescent liquor upon porous earth

References

• “petrescent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.