calcite

[ kal-sahyt ]

/ ˈkæl saɪt /

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.

Nearby words

calciphile, calciphilia, calciphobe, calciphylaxis, calciprivic, calcite, calcitic, calcitonin, calcitriol, calcium, calcium antagonist

Origin of calcite

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

Related forms

cal·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

It was not common carbonate of lime, for the crystals were rhombohedral and did not show the cleavage of calcite.
The Voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe, Volume I and Volume II|A.E. Nordenskieold
In the crystals from East Woodstock, Maine, only the outside shell is garnet and the interior is calcite.
Birds and Nature Vol. 11 No. 4 [April 1902]|Various
Those stones which show electricity on the application of pressure are such as the fluorspar, calcite, and topaz.
The Chemistry, Properties and Tests of Precious Stones|John Mastin
The shell consists of carbonate of lime, under one or both of the forms known to mineralogists as calcite and aragonite.
Colouration in Animals and Plants|Alfred Tylor

The density of the globules (2.58) is similar to that of ordinary varieties of calcite.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 286|Various

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

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

Science 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.