calcareous

American  

[kal-kair-ee-uhs] / kælˈkɛər i əs /

adjective

1. of, containing, or like calcium carbonate; chalky.

   calcareous earth.

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calcareous British  

/ kælˈkɛərɪəs /

adjective

1. of, containing, or resembling calcium carbonate; chalky

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calcareous Scientific  

/ kăl-kâr′ē-əs /

1. Composed of or containing calcium or calcium carbonate. Calcareous rocks contain as much as 50 percent calcium carbonate.

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Other Word Forms

• calcareously adverb
• calcareousness noun
• noncalcareous adjective
• subcalcareous adjective
• uncalcareous adjective

Etymology

Origin of calcareous

1670–80; variant of calcarious < Latin calcārius of lime; calx, -ary ( def. )

Example Sentences

Diverse landscapes with good connectivity between quarries and calcareous grasslands proved to be particularly valuable.

From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2024

Among other things, the researchers determined the isotopic and elemental composition of the calcareous shells of plankton.

From Science Daily • Nov. 3, 2023

The permit, which Science has seen, authorized Frey to transport “two boxes containing calcareous samples with fossils, without any commercial value, with the main objective to proceed with paleontological studies” at SMNK.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 29, 2021

Though I had to swallow some disappointment to see it, Abbé’s fumaroles, built up over millennia by the accretion of calcareous mineral deposits, still presented an astonishing panorama.

From New York Times • Apr. 8, 2019

I believe I smelled the sea rocks and the kelp and the excitement of churning sea water, the sharpness of iodine and the under odor of washed and ground calcareous shells.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck