concretion

[ kon-kree-shuhn, kong- ]

noun

1. the act or process of concreting or becoming substantial; coalescence; solidification.
2. the state of being concreted.
3. a solid mass formed by or as if by coalescence or cohesion:

   a concretion of melted candies.

4. anything that is made real, tangible, or particular.
5. Pathology. a solid or calcified mass in the body formed by a disease process.
6. Geology. a rounded mass of mineral matter occurring in sandstone, clay, etc., often in concentric layers about a nucleus.

concretion

/ kənˈkriːʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of coming or growing together; coalescence
2. a solid or solidified mass
3. something made real, tangible, or specific
4. any of various rounded or irregular mineral masses formed by chemical precipitation around a nucleus, such as a bone or shell, that is different in composition from the sedimentary rock that surrounds it
5. See calculus
   pathol another word for calculus

Derived Forms

• conˈcretionary, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of concretion¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin concrētiōn- (stem of concrētiō ); concrete, -ion

Example Sentences

Most concretions in other fossil beds have no fossils or fossils that are just bones and hard parts, but “Mazon Creek has really good, soft-tissue preservation inside these concretions,” she says.

From Science News

While we don’t completely understand how concretions form, all the evidence so far is that it’s the concretion itself that is the preservation force keeping things from decaying away.

From Science News

That’s because the concretions there are partly made of an iron-carbonate mineral called siderite that only forms in low-oxygen environments.

From Science News

Fossils from this deposit are preserved within concretions made of an iron carbonate mineral called siderite.

From Singularity Hub 

A concretion of rounded quartz pebbles, cemented by ferruginous matter, apparently of recent formation.

From Project Gutenberg

In the first place, what common element is there in matter, form, and the concretion of matter and form?

From Project Gutenberg

Phleb′olite, a calcareous concretion found in a vein; Phlebol′ogy, science of the veins; Phleb′orrhage, venous hemorrhage.

From Project Gutenberg

Again, The concretion of Ice will not endure a dry attrition without liquation; for if it be rubbed long with a cloth, it melteth.

From Project Gutenberg

And many bodies will coagulate upon commixture, whose separated natures promise no concretion.

From Project Gutenberg