calcite

[ kal-sahyt ]

/ ˈkæl saɪt /

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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.

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Origin of calcite

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

OTHER WORDS FROM calcite

cal·cit·ic

[kal-sit-ik], /kælˈsɪt ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby calcite

calcine, calciner, calcinosis, calciphile, calciphobe, calcite, calcitonin, calcitriol, calcium, calcium antagonist, calcium arsenate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use calcite in a sentence

Beneath a starfish’s skin lies a skeleton made of pebbly growths, called ossicles, which mostly consist of the mineral calcite.
A diamondlike structure gives some starfish skeletons their strength|Carolyn Wilke|February 10, 2022|Science News
These carbon-bearing minerals, which are mostly “carbonates” like calcite and magnesite, can store the carbon dioxide for thousands of years.
The truth about carbon capture technology|Charlotte Hu|November 5, 2021|Popular-Science
Excavated calcite crystals hadn’t been modified in any way and had no apparent practical use, raising the possibility that these items held ritual or symbolic significance, Wilkins suspects.
Stone Age culture bloomed inland, not just along Africa’s coasts|Bruce Bower|March 31, 2021|Science News
As water flows through a limestone cave, it leaves behind small deposits of minerals, which gradually build up into layers of calcite, like the one atop the pig painting.
This painted pig is the world’s oldest figurative art|Kiona N. Smith|January 15, 2021|Ars Technica

Further chemical, X-ray and microscopic examinations revealed a thin layer of calcite containing high levels of magnesium.
Mineral body armor helps some leaf-cutting ants win fights with bigger kin|Christie Wilcox|November 24, 2020|Science News
Her bones stick up from the ground, and water has sealed them with a sparkling calcite coating.
The Cave Where Mayans Sacrificed Humans Is Open for Visitors|Nina Strochlic|August 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Aragonite, a mineral formed of calcium carbonate crystallized in the rhombic system; specific gravity 2.94 (compare Calcite).
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2|Various
Sandstone mortar, eye in green glaze , the other objects as in N. 1, but with the addition of tablets of calcite and lead.
El Kab|J.E. Quibell
In the first class 74 are included sulphur and ammonium nitrate; monotropy is exhibited by aragonite and calcite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1|Various
The emerald occurs in nests of calcite in a black bituminous limestone containing ammonites of Lower Cretaceous age.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3|Various
These cave formations are all composed of the mineral calcite, which forms all lime rock.
Florida Caverns State Park|Robert O. Vernon

British Dictionary definitions for calcite

calcite

/ (ˈkælsaɪt) /

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 forms of calcite

calcitic (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

Scientific definitions for calcite

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.