Containing, resembling, or composed of chert; having the hard, grainy quality characteristic of chert rock.
From 'chert' (the noun) plus the adjectival suffix '-y'. The suffix '-y' transforms nouns into adjectives meaning 'having the quality of' or 'resembling,' as in 'gritty' or 'stony.'
When geologists describe rocks as 'cherty,' they're giving a quick geological diagnosis—a 'cherty limestone' tells other scientists that the rock is limestone with significant silica content, changing how it weathers and behaves.
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