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oolith

[ oh-uh-lith ]
/ ˈoʊ ə lɪθ /
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noun Geology.
any of the component concretions of a piece of oolite.
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Origin of oolith

First recorded in 1780–90; oo- + -lith

Words nearby oolith

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

British Dictionary definitions for oolith

oolith
/ (ˈəʊəˌlɪθ) /

noun
any of the tiny spherical grains of sedimentary rock of which oolite is composed
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 oolith

oolith
[ ōə-līt′ ]

A small, round grain consisting of calcium carbonate, silica, or dolomite. Ooliths have concentric layers that form around a nucleus, such as a shell fragment, a sand grain, or a pellet of alga. They typically have diameters of 0.25 to 2 mm. Ooliths usually form by inorganic precipitation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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