calamine

[ kal-uh-mahyn, -min ]
/ ˈkæl əˌmaɪn, -mɪn /

noun

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.
Mineralogy. hemimorphite.
Chiefly British. smithsonite.

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Origin of calamine

1595–1605; <Medieval Latin calamīna, unexplained alteration of Latin cadmiacadmium; see -ine1

Words nearby calamine

calamander, calamari, calamary, calamata olive, Calamian Islands, calamine, calamine brass, calamint, calamite, calamitous, calamity
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for calamine

British Dictionary definitions for calamine

calamine
/ (ˈkæləˌmaɪn) /

noun

a pink powder consisting of zinc oxide and ferric oxide, (iron(III) oxide), used medicinally in the form of soothing lotions or ointments
US another name for smithsonite, hemimorphite

Word Origin for calamine

C17: from Old French, from Medieval Latin calamīna, from Latin cadmīa; see cadmium
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

Medical definitions for calamine

calamine
[ kăl′ə-mīn′, -mĭn ]

n.

A pink, odorless, tasteless powder of zinc oxide with a small amount of ferric oxide, dissolved in mineral oils and used in skin lotions.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.