calcareous

American

[kal-kair-ee-uhs] / kælˈkɛər i əs /

adjective

of, containing, or like calcium carbonate; chalky.

calcareous earth.

calcareous British

/ kælˈkɛərɪəs /

adjective

of, containing, or resembling calcium carbonate; chalky

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

calcareous Scientific

/ kăl-kâr′ē-əs /

Composed of or containing calcium or calcium carbonate. Calcareous rocks contain as much as 50 percent calcium carbonate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of calcareous

1670–80; variant of calcarious < Latin calcārius of lime; see calx, -ary ( def. )

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023