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calcareous

American  
[kal-kair-ee-uhs] / kælˈkɛər i əs /

adjective

  1. of, containing, or like calcium carbonate; chalky.

    calcareous earth.


calcareous British  
/ kælˈkɛərɪəs /

adjective

  1. 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-kârē-əs /
  1. 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 deposits yellow or greenish, spores 7–9 14.

From The North American Slime-Moulds A Descriptive List of All Species of Myxomycetes Hitherto Reported from the Continent of North America, with Notes on Some Extra-Limital Species by MacBride, Thomas H. (Thomas Huston)

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