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.

Nearby words

Origin of oolite

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

Also called egg stone.

Related formso·o·lit·ic

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for oolite

The flora of the Oolite was peculiarly a flora of intermediate forms.
The Testimony of the Rocks|Hugh Miller
And the first known bird only makes its appearance in the oolite, about half-way through that latest period.
The Evolutionist at Large|Grant Allen
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
The Jurassic period is sub-divided into two sub-periods: those of the Lias and the Oolite.
The World Before the Deluge|Louis Figuier

That part of the cliffs which consist of lias, the oolite series, and chalk, decays slowly.
Principles of Geology|Charles Lyell

British Dictionary definitions for oolite

oolite

/ (ˈəʊəˌlaɪt) /

noun

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

Derived Formsoolitic (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

Word Origin and History for oolite

oolite

"rock consisting of fine grains of carbonate of lime," 1785, from Modern Latin oolites, from oo-, comb. form of Greek oon "egg" (cognate with Old English æg, see egg (n.)) + lithos "stone" (see litho-). So called because the rock resembles the roe of fish.

Science definitions for oolite

oolite

[ ō′ə-līt′ ]

A sedimentary rock consisting of ooliths that are cemented together by calcium carbonate.