Litification

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process by which unconsolidated sediments are transformed into solid rock through compaction and cementation ; the conversion of loose particles into a coherent, stone-like mass
2. The transformation that turns loose or loose-grained materials into hard, solid rock by processes such as pressure and mineral deposition ; the hardening and solidification of sediment
3. The geological phenomenon where loose sedimentary deposits become firm and rocklike due to chemical or physical changes ; the turning of aggregates into rock through binding and compression

Etymology: "Lithification" is built from Greek "lithos," meaning stone, the same root behind "monolith" (a single standing stone) and "megalith" (a great stone). The ending combines Latin "facere," "to make," which reached English through French "-fier" in "-ify," and the suffix "-ation," which names a process. Put together, the term literally means "making into stone." The Greek root also surfaces in chemistry. Lithium, the lightest metal, takes its name from "lithos" because it was found in a mineral, petalite, rather than in plant ash, where the alkali metals known at the time had been obtained.