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

Etymology

Origin of calcareous

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

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.

Calcareous grasslands -- meaning grasslands on chalk or limestone soils -- are exceptionally rich in plant and animal species, making them valuable ecosystems.

From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2024

Calcareous oozes consist of calcite-rich plankton shells that have fallen to the ocean floor.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Calcareous spines may be present on the girdle to offer protection from predators.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The Hauptdolomit Formation is found in the Dolomites, as well as in a very similar development in the Northern Calcareous Alps, the Apennines, Dinarides and Sicily.

From Scientific American • Jun. 21, 2012

Calcareous soils are most favorable to their growth.

From Soil Culture by Walden, J. H.

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