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calcium chloride

American  

noun

  1. a white, lumpy, deliquescent solid, CaCl 2 , usually derived from calcium carbonate by reaction with hydrochloric acid, or as a by-product of various commercial processes: used chiefly as a drying agent and preservative and for preventing dust.

calcium chloride British  

noun

  1. a white deliquescent salt occurring naturally in seawater and used in the de-icing of roads and as a drying agent. Formula: CaCl 2

"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
calcium chloride Scientific  

  1. A white crystalline salt that attracts water very strongly. It is used in refrigeration and is spread on roads to melt ice and control dust. Chemical formula: CaCl 2 .

Etymology

Origin of calcium chloride

First recorded in 1880–85

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A group that supports maintaining Miracle Hot Springs says on its website that the soaking pool’s water has mineral compounds that include sulfur, magnesium, calcium, chloride, iron and sodium.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2024

Monday in the area of Low Line and Magnolia roads in Morgan County and the nine derailed cars contained dry cement, calcium chloride and sodium hydroxide, according to CSX and county officials.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 13, 2024

Moreover, additives like calcium chloride and artificial coloring are allowed in Parmesan, as are other nontraditional steps in the cheesemaking process.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2023

The coolant in Sunday's leak was a solution of calcium chloride, used in concrete mixes to hasten setting and in food to firm it.

From Reuters • Jan. 25, 2022

In obscure cases, quinine, sodium salicylate, arsenic, pilocarpine, atropia, potassium bromide, calcium chloride, and ichthyol are to be variously tried; general galvanization is at times useful, as is also a change of scene and climate.

From Essentials of Diseases of the Skin Including the Syphilodermata Arranged in the Form of Questions and Answers Prepared Especially for Students of Medicine by Stelwagon, Henry Weightman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.