oolite

[ oh-uh-lahyt ]

/ ˈoʊ əˌlaɪt /

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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

oogonium, ooh, ookinesis, Ookpik, oolachan, oolite, oolith, oology, oolong, oom, oomiak

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use oolite in a sentence

The tests indicated that it consisted of shale of the lower oolite, and the works were let accordingly.
Lives of the Engineers|Samuel Smiles
Roggenstein, rog′en-stīn, n. a kind of oolite in which the grains are cemented by argillaceous matter.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
Upper oolitic formation, including what are called Kimmeridge clay and Portland oolite.
Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation|Robert Chambers
And where are the mighty reptile tyrants of air, earth and water of the Oolite?
The Christian Foundation, Or, Scientific and Religious Journal, Volume I, No. 8, August, 1880|Various

On the shore at Lossiemouth there is a patch of greenish white sandstones yielding fossils characteristic of the Lower Oolite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3|Various

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.