oolite

[ oh-uh-lahyt ]
/ ˈoʊ əˌlaɪt /

noun Geology.

a limestone composed of minute rounded concretions resembling fish roe, in some places altered to ironstone by replacement with iron oxide.

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Also called egg stone.

Origin of oolite

1775–85; (< French oölithe) < New Latin oölithēs. See oo-, -lite

OTHER WORDS FROM oolite

o·o·lit·ic [oh-uh-lit-ik] /ˌoʊ əˈlɪt ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby oolite

ookinesis, ookinete, ookpik, oolachan, oolemma, oolite, oolith, oology, oolong, oom, oom paul
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for oolite

British Dictionary definitions for oolite

oolite
/ (ˈəʊəˌlaɪt) /

noun

any sedimentary rock, esp limestone, consisting of tiny spherical concentric grains within a fine matrix

Derived forms of oolite

oolitic (ˌəʊəˈlɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for oolite

C18: from French from New Latin oolitēs, literally: egg stone; probably a translation of German Rogenstein roe stone
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 oolite

oolite
[ ō′ə-līt′ ]

A sedimentary rock consisting of ooliths that are cemented together by calcium carbonate.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.