limestone

American  

[lahym-stohn] / ˈlaɪmˌstoʊn /

noun

• limestones
  plural

1. 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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limestone British  

/ ˈlaɪmˌstəʊn /

noun

1. 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

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limestone Scientific  

/ līm′stōn′ /

1. 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.

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limestone Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• limestones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of limestone

First recorded in 1515–25; lime ² + stone

Compare meaning

How does limestone compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• limestone vs. travertine

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

limestone limestones

Brian Schaer, 43, a limestone miner from southern Iowa, sums up the inchoate resentment: “It’s frustrating when you don’t get your stuff going.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

They also did an assessment and concluded the statue is most likely limestone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

He and two fellow fossil hunters were walking away from Lavernock Point when they spotted a large shape in the limestone.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

As that acidic water reacts with certain rocks -- limestone, for instance -- it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

When it flares up, I slip between two huge slabs of limestone and sidle down the tight tunnel.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

The discovery was made at Lavernock Point, close to Cardiff and Penarth, where the cliffs of dark-coloured shales and limestones document ancient shallow seas.

From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024

This magma is thought to have expelled gases that flowed into limestones, chemically altering them.

From Science Magazine ● Jun. 1, 2023

Next, I moved to Ridgewood, so deep into Bushwick that I was actually in Queens, where the old limestones on my block literally doubled in value over the course of four years.

From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2020

Carbon-rich rocks, such as limestones, are sucked inside Earth at plate margins.

From Nature ● Jun. 11, 2019

The northern coast range is formed by the oldest rocks in the island, consisting chiefly of limestones and marbles with occasional masses of igneous rock.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various