laterite
laterite. Red, porous, ferruginous (i.e. containing iron) rock, found in India and parts of South-East Asia. It is easy to cut when first excavated, but soon becomes extremely hard on exposure to air. It was used in blocks for walls, with no mortar, but surfaces had to be clad with softer stone or plastered if decoration was required as it was too hard to carve.
Bibliography
Geographical Review, xxxi (1941), 177–202;
W. Papworth (1852)
More From encyclopedia.com
NEARBY TERMS
laterite
