Breccia

Geology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A rock made of broken fragments cemented together. It suggests rupture transformed into a new, rough unity.

Detailed Definition
Breccia is a sedimentary or volcanic rock composed of angular pieces of older rock bound by a natural mineral cement. Because its fragments retain sharp edges, it records violence rather than gradual wearing: collapse, eruption, faulting, or impact. A poet may use breccia as an image for memory assembled from breaks, a family history held together after disaster, or language whose jagged parts still make a durable whole.
Example
Example in poetry:
The ruined wall was breccia, jagged fragments cemented into one rough surface; A poet can use breccia as an image for a family history made from broken stories that still hold together; “My grief is breccia” suggests sharp pieces of experience fused by time or pressure; Volcanic breccia in a poem can make an eruption feel physically immediate through its shattered rock fragments
Additional Notes
Breccia differs from conglomerate because its fragments are angular, showing little transport. Use its jagged texture for violence, repair, or fractured memory.
Also Known As
Broken Rock Angular Conglomerate Fragmental Stone Cemented Rubble
Skip to main content