The Collaborative International Dictionary
Plutonic \Plu*ton"ic\, a. [Cf. F. plutonique. See Pluto.]
Of or pertaining to Pluto; Plutonian; hence, pertaining to the interior of the earth; subterranean.
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Of, pertaining to, or designating, the system of the Plutonists; igneous; as, the Plutonic theory.
Plutonic action (Geol.), the influence of volcanic heat and other subterranean forces under pressure.
Plutonic rocks (Geol.), granite, porphyry, and some other igneous rocks, supposed to have consolidated from a melted state at a great depth from the surface. Cf. Intrusive rocks, under Intrusive.
Plutonic theory. (Geol.) See Plutonism.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"pertaining to or involving intense heat deep in the earth's crust," 1796, coined by Irish scientist Richard Kirwin (1733-1812) from comb. form of Pluto (as god of the underworld) + -ic. Especially in reference to early 19c. geological theory (championed by Hutton) that attributed most of the earth's features to action of internal heat, a theory which triumphed over its rival, neptunism, which attributed them to water. Related: Plutonism; Plutonist.
Wiktionary
a. (context mineralogy English) Of an igneous rock that cooled and hardened below the earth's surface.
WordNet
Wikipedia
Usage examples of "plutonic".
Thus far it resembles the Jibbah find: on the other hand, it is not plutonic, but chalky like those of Makna and Sinai, the crystals being similarly diffused throughout the matrix.
Not until he forswears love will he stretch out his hand to the gold, and found the Plutonic empire for himself.
The man who will turn his back on love, and upon all the fruitful it, and will set himself single-heartedly to gather gold in an exultant dream of wielding its Plutonic powers, will find the treasure yielding quickly to his touch.
Not until the Plutonic power is so strongly set up that the higher human impulses are suppressed as rebellious, and even the mere appetites are denied, starved, and insulted when they cannot purchase their satisfaction with gold, are the energetic spirits driven to build their lives upon riches.
They forget that they have poisoned that desire in him by their mockery and denial of it, and that he now knows that life will give him nothing that he cannot wrest from it by the Plutonic power.
He has neither the cunning nor the ambition to establish the Plutonic empire with it.
Then without further ado Siegfried departs on his expedition, taking Gunther with him to the foot of the mountain, and leaving Hagen to guard the hall and sing a very fine solo which has often figured in the programs of the Richter concerts, explaining that his interest in the affair is that Siegfried will bring back the Ring, and that he, Hagen, will presently contrive to possess himself of that Ring and become Plutonic master of the world.
The subject of the differentiation of rock-types in the process of solidification as plutonic or volcanic rocks from a particular magma received much attention from him.
We were not sorry to see it again--our eyes were weary of the gloomy plutonic curtains on either side.
The granite, however, is a mere mask or excrescence, being everywhere based upon and backed by the green and red plutonic traps which have enveloped it.
I expected a corresponding formation upon the opposite eastern versant: we found only a huge crest, a spine of black plutonic rock, intensely ugly and repulsive.
Hamirat Surrah in the Rugham or Secondary formation, and the granitic mass Hamirat el-Nabwah, where the plutonic outbreaks begin.
As to flint, that would not be wanting in these regions of Plutonic origin.
The background was harsh plutonic hillside, where grass of a pale yellowish turquoise grew between dark boulders.
They moved to Australia in a hurry because the previous CEO of the Australian division of Plutonic Petrochemicals died from a sudden and massive heart attack.