Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

obsidian

/əbˈsɪd.i.ən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.95 in modern English

Syllables: ob-sid-i-an
IPA: /əbˈsɪd.i.ən/

11

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A type of naturally occurring black glass produced by volcanoes.

Uncountable

noun

A slightly bluish black, the color of obsidian glass.

Uncountable

adj

Example Sentences

"The Neolithic culture from 8000 to 6000 B.C., however, was a brilliant period of the revival of crafts, the transformation of gathering into gardening, the growth of a cross-cultural obsidian trade, and the rise of towns."
"Looks like a yellow biscuit of a buttery cue ball moon / Rolling maverick across an obsidian sky"

Etymology

From Latin obsidianus; named after Obsidius, who was, according to Pliny, the Roman who discovered the stone in Aethiopia.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: obsidianus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /əbˈsɪd.i.ən/
British English: /ˌɒbˈsɪd.i.ən/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

obsidians (plural) more obsidian (comparative) most obsidian (superlative)

Synonyms

obby

Rhymes With

meridian gideon floridian davidian antemeridian euclidean quotidian lydian viridian enchiridion ophidian ascidian

Questions

How do you pronounce obsidian?: The recorded pronunciation is /əbˈsɪd.i.ən/.
What does obsidian mean?: A type of naturally occurring black glass produced by volcanoes.
Where does obsidian come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce obsidian

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