dripstone

American  

[drip-stohn] / ˈdrɪpˌstoʊn /

noun

1. Architecture. a stone molding used as a drip.

2. calcium carbonate occurring in the form of stalactites and stalagmites.

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dripstone British  

/ ˈdrɪpˌstəʊn /

noun

1. the form of calcium carbonate existing in stalactites or stalagmites

2. Also called: label.   hood mould.  architect a drip made of stone

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Etymology

Origin of dripstone

First recorded in 1785–95; drip + stone

Example Sentences

Active dripstone formation in a side area of the “Kleine Teufelshöhle”.

From Salon • Jan. 22, 2024

The researchers from Heidelberg and Karlsruhe studied a stalagmite -- a dripstone that grows upward from the floor of a cave -- from the "Kleine Teufelshöhle" in Franconian Switzerland.

From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 2024

There were neither idols nor signs of paganism, except that the floor, which resembled the dripstone of Tenerife, was smoothed by the feet of the old worshippers.

From To the Gold Coast for Gold A Personal Narrative in Two Volumes.—Volume I by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir

The four towards the south are of three lights, but the east window has five lights and is set higher in the wall, while its dripstone terminates at one end in a grotesque sitting figure.

From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Ripon A Short History of the Church and a Description of Its Fabric by Hallett, Cecil Walter Charles

In the earlier part, too, the later windows have been clumsily inserted some distance below the Early English dripstone, as if only the internal effect had been considered.

From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Wells A Description of Its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See by Dearmer, Percy