limestone

[ lahym-stohn ]

/ ˈlaɪmˌstoʊn /

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See synonyms for limestone on Thesaurus.com

noun

a sedimentary rock consisting predominantly of calcium carbonate, varieties of which are formed from the skeletons of marine microorganisms and coral: used as a building stone and in the manufacture of lime.

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Compare marble.

Origin of limestone

First recorded in 1515–25; lime¹ + stone

Words nearby limestone

limequat, limerence, limerick, limes, limescale, limestone, limestone lettuce, limestone pavement, lime sulfur, lime tree, lime twig

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use limestone in a sentence

Among the piles of specimens were six large slabs of limestone.
Smugglers almost made off with a near-complete fossil of a bizarre flying reptile|Hannah Seo|August 26, 2021|Popular-Science
For now, you can ride 195 miles of its crushed limestone from the town of Norfolk in the east to Valentine in the west.
The 25 Best Fall Trips in the World|jversteegh|August 9, 2021|Outside Online
With limestone outcroppings, rocky terrain, and vast, dry prairies, Missouri’s 12,423-acre Hercules-Glades Wilderness is a mish-mash of Ozark Mountain terrain.
50 U.S. Wilderness Areas, Ranked|eriley|July 26, 2021|Outside Online
For limestone, he estimates that the number could be as much as twice that, because of the heat required to process the rock.
There’s Never Been a Better Time to Buy a Sustainable Wetsuit|wtaylor|July 23, 2021|Outside Online

That process would convert calcium oxide back into calcium carbonate, the main component of limestone, at which point the process can simply begin again.
A startup using minerals to draw down CO2 has scored funding—and its first buyer|James Temple|May 26, 2021|MIT Technology Review
So he and the scouts dug into a limestone hill and built a factory in record speed.
Israel Had a Secret, Underground Bullet Factory|Nina Strochlic|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The ship, which was carrying a consignment of limestone, broke in half.
Prince William's Dramatic Rescue Mission Boosts Royals' Image|Tom Sykes|November 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Middlebury is gorgeous, with big, open quads and limestone buildings that echo Yale's.
The Great College Road Trip|Nick Summers|April 8, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The soul of his output in this period: a series of 20 limestone heads, evocative of African sculpture.
"Mad, Bad Modigliani"|Brad Gooch|March 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
For instance, the Limestone Polypody is not happy unless there is a certain amount of lime present in the soil.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
The train had long passed Hornberg, and far below the streams tumbled in white foam down the limestone rocks.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
A band of limestone also occurs at Templeton containing masses of a light-coloured translucent serpentine.
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones
An abundance of limestone makes the soil exceptionally fertile and productive.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
We were now in the "limestone country," and the roads are exceedingly dusty in dry weather.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy

British Dictionary definitions for limestone

limestone

/ (ˈlaɪmˌstəʊn) /

noun

a sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium carbonate, deposited as the calcareous remains of marine animals or chemically precipitated from the sea: used as a building stone and in the manufacture of cement, lime, etc

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 limestone

limestone

[ līm′stōn′ ]

A sedimentary rock consisting primarily of calcium carbonate, often in the form of the minerals calcite or aragonite, and sometimes with magnesium carbonate in the form of dolomite. Minor amounts of silica, feldspar, pyrite, and clay may also be present. Limestone can occur in many colors but is usually white, gray, or black. It forms either through the accumulation and compaction of fossil shells or other calcium-carbonate based marine organisms, such as coral, or through the chemical precipitation of calcium carbonate out of sea water.

Cultural definitions for limestone

limestone

Sedimentary rock formed primarily of calcium carbonate, often the skeletons of small marine organisms.

limestone

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Origin of limestone

Words nearby limestone

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How to use limestone in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for limestone

Scientific definitions for limestone

Cultural definitions for limestone