calcification

American  

[kal-suh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌkæl sə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a changing into lime.

2. Physiology. the deposition of lime or insoluble salts of calcium and magnesium, as in a tissue.

3. Anatomy, Geology. a calcified formation.

4. a soil process in which the surface soil is supplied with calcium in such a way that the soil colloids are always close to saturation.

5. a hardening or solidifying; rigidity.

   As the conflict developed, there was an increasing calcification of attitudes on both sides.

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calcification Scientific  

/ kăl′sə-fĭ-kā′shən /

1. Medicine

   1. The accumulation of calcium or calcium salts in a body tissue. Calcification normally occurs in the formation of bone, but can be deposited abnormally, as in the lungs.

   2. A structure that has undergone calcification.

2. Geology

   1. The replacement of organic material, especially original hard material such as bone, with calcium carbonate during the process of fossilization.

   2. The accumulation of calcium in certain soils, especially soils of cool temperate regions where leaching takes place very slowly.

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Etymology

Origin of calcification

First recorded in 1840–50; calcific + -ation

Example Sentences

A scan with significant calcification helps doctors and patients make a decision about whether they need to take a statin or other cholesterol-lowering medication.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

She stated the actual cause of death was narrowing and "calcification of his coronary arteries due to old age".

From BBC • Aug. 13, 2025

For type 2 diabetes, the analyses show that so-called bad cholesterol plays a major role in carotid artery calcification, and that lower levels of triglycerides significantly reduce the risk of peripheral arterial disease.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2024

Nevertheless, individuals who had large amounts of damaged teeth possessed higher rates of inflammation, brain tissue loss and aortic valve calcification.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2024

There may be calcification of the subintimal tissue without deposits of lime salts in the media, but this is more commonly found in the larger arteries.

From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Warfield, Louis Marshall