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

The limestone landscape in the region has very little soil, making traditional underground nesting sites scarce.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026

Then, if the system is visible from the street, local officials can refuse if it mars the iconic, limestone facades of the city’s Haussmannian buildings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

Martin Marietta Materials declined 6.2% after the construction materials giant announced it’s acquiring limestone supplier Lhoist North America for $13.5 billion in a cash and shares.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

Every Maltese resident was to live within a 10-minute walk of green space, on an island composed largely of limestone, concrete, and the parking lot of a Lidl, that overall turns brown in the summer.

From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2026

I peel back the curtains, and diamond-paned city-lanterns illuminate rich limestone mansions and townhouses in the aristocratic Rose Quartier.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

The cradle of palaeontology -- the study of fossil remains of animals and plants -- lies in the Maastricht limestones, where the first Mosasaurus was discovered in 1766.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2023

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

Then follows a series of sandstones, clays and limestones with occasional seams of lignite, evidently of shallow-water origin.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7 "Gyantse" to "Hallel" by Various