calcite

[kal-sahyt]

noun

one of the commonest minerals, calcium carbonate, CaCO3, found in a great variety of crystalline forms: a major constituent of limestone, marble, and chalk; calc-spar.

Origin of calcite

First recorded in 1840–50; calc- + -ite¹

Related formscal·cit·ic

[kal-sit-ik] /kælˈsɪt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for calcite

Historical Examples of calcite

A dark compact rock, in which calcite and sericite predominate.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
A vase of calcite, also dedicated by Entemena, has been found at Nippur.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1
Various
Calcite , calcium carbonate, a rock that includes limestone and marble.
Unexplored!
Allen Chaffee
The density of the globules (2.58) is similar to that of ordinary varieties of calcite.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 286
Various
Cerium looks like iron, having both its color and lustre, but is heavier, and has the hardness of calcite.
The Galaxy, Volume 23, No. 2, February, 1877
Various

British Dictionary definitions for calcite

calcite

noun

a colourless or white mineral (occasionally tinged with impurities), found in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, in veins, in limestone, and in stalagmites and stalactites. It is used in the manufacture of cement, plaster, paint, glass, and fertilizer. Composition: calcium carbonate. Formula: CaCO 3 . Crystal structure: hexagonal (rhombohedral)

Derived Formscalcitic (kælˈsɪtɪk), adjective

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

Word Origin and History for calcite

crystalling calcium carbonate, 1849, from German Calcit, coined by Austrian mineralogist Wilhelm Karl von Hardinger (1795-1871) from Latin calx (genitive calcis) "lime" (see chalk (n.)) + mineral suffix -ite (2) (German -it).

calcite in Science

calcite

[kăl′sīt′]

A usually white, clear, pale-yellow or blue orthorhombic mineral. Calcite occurs in many different forms and is the main component of chalk, limestone, and marble. It is a polymorph of aragonite. Chemical formula: CaCO3.