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quicklime

American  
[kwik-lahym] / ˈkwɪkˌlaɪm /

noun

  1. lime.


quicklime British  
/ ˈkwɪkˌlaɪm /

noun

  1. another name for calcium oxide

"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

Etymology

Origin of quicklime

1350–1400; Middle English quyk lym, translation Latin calx vīva; quick, lime 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Two problems: At the time, renewable energy cost too much to make it affordable, and adding water usually turns quicklime into an unwieldy goop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

If that calcium comes straight from crushed limestone, it’s considered natural, but if it’s isolated from crushed stone and then treated with heat to become more concentrated quicklime, it qualifies as synthetic.

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2025

Burning vast amounts of wood to convert limestone into quicklime ravaged the forests, which led to soil erosion and water contamination.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2023

Lime clasts have long been observed in the quicklime, or calcium oxide, that was a mainstay of the Roman empire’s concrete mixtures.

From Washington Times • Jan. 8, 2023

He disposed of other spent material in his kiln or in pits filled with quicklime.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson