calamine
Americannoun
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a pink, water-insoluble powder consisting of zinc oxide and about 0.5 percent ferric oxide, used in ointments, lotions, or the like, for the treatment of inflammatory conditions of the skin.
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Mineralogy. hemimorphite.
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Chiefly British. smithsonite.
noun
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a pink powder consisting of zinc oxide and ferric oxide, (iron(III) oxide), used medicinally in the form of soothing lotions or ointments
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another name for smithsonite hemimorphite
Etymology
Origin of calamine
1595–1605; < Medieval Latin calamīna, unexplained alteration of Latin cadmia cadmium; see -ine 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Calamine lotions or creams containing menthol can also cut the itch a bit.
From Washington Post • Sep. 10, 2021
For some there was also the draw that residents of what is known in French as La Calamine could avoid military service in Prussia or Belgium.
From Reuters • May 21, 2016
Calamine is found in beds and veins in limestone rocks, and is often associated with galena and blende.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" by Various
Calamine, kal′a-mīn, n. an ore consisting essentially of carbonate of zinc.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
Calamine lotion is one of the best applications which can be employed for this disorder.
From The Home Medical Library, Volume II (of VI) by Winslow, Kenelm
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
