Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mafic

/ˈmeɪfɪk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.19 in modern English

Syllables: maf-ic
IPA: /ˈmeɪfɪk/

12

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Describing rocks, such as silicate minerals, magmas, and volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks, which contain relatively high concentrations of magnesium and iron.

noun

A rock with such properties.

Example Sentences

"Much of the southern half of the southeastern body is a mafic syenite, slightly more felsic than the shonkinite."
"As a whole, rocks of this type are referred to as mafic, because of the importance of magnesium and iron in their composition."

Etymology

Blend of magnesium + ferric.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈmeɪfɪk/
British English: /ˈmafɪk/

Inflected Forms

more mafic (comparative) most mafic (superlative) mafics (plural)

Derived Forms

nonmafic ultramafic

Synonyms

ferromagnesic basic

Antonyms

felsic acidic

Questions

How do you pronounce mafic?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmeɪfɪk/.
What does mafic mean?: Describing rocks, such as silicate minerals, magmas, and volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks, which contain relatively high concentrations of magnesium and iron.
Where does mafic come from?: Blend of magnesium + ferric.

How to pronounce mafic

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mafic”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmeɪfɪk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mafic”.
Repeat and practice — Say “mafic” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.