stalactite

[ stuh-lak-tahyt, stal-uhk-tahyt ]

/ stəˈlæk taɪt, ˈstæl əkˌtaɪt /

Save This Word!

noun

a deposit, usually of calcium carbonate, shaped like an icicle, hanging from the roof of a cave or the like, and formed by the dripping of percolating calcareous water.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stalactite

1670–80; <New Latin stalactites<Greek stalakt(ós) dripping (stalag-, stem of stalássein to drip + -tos verbid suffix) + New Latin -ites-ite¹

OTHER WORDS FROM stalactite

stal·ac·tit·ic

[stal-uhk-tit-ik], /ˌstæl əkˈtɪt ɪk/, stal·ac·tit·i·cal, adjectivestal·ac·tit·i·cal·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH stalactite

stalactite , stalagmite

Words nearby stalactite

stake truck, Stakhanov, Stakhanovism, Stakhanovite, stalactiform, stalactite, stalactites, stalactite work, stalag, stalagmite, stalagmites

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

How to use stalactite in a sentence

Medieval artisans crafted some Alhambra ceilings to look like a cave’s stalactites, then gilded them with a layer of tinfoil topped by a gold-and-silver alloy.
Why once-gold ceilings in Spain’s Alhambra palace have purple stains|Carmen Drahl|September 9, 2022|Science News
With a bedrock of sandstone and shale, two minerals less water soluble than limestone, the area didn’t lend itself to the familiar stalactites and stalagmites of other subterranean tunnels.
Mammoth Cave National Park Is Spooky yet Stunning|tzemke|July 29, 2022|Outside Online
Replies stack downward, leading in some cases to long, stalactite-like structures.
Most Comments Are Horrible—Sites Look for Ways to Make Them Better|Jesse Singal|July 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In this specimen the tubular cavity of the stalactite is still open.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King

I halted on my way to visit the curious and wonderful stalactite caverns of Adelsberg; they are like underground cathedrals.
Autobiographical Reminiscences with Family Letters and Notes on Music|Charles Gounod
The storeman seizes the head of one bird, wrenches hard, and off it breaks as brittle as a stalactite.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
The outermost cave is 70 ft. in height and 200 in length, with massive pillars of stalactite reaching from roof to floor.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 8|Various
Slow water fell drop by drop from the point of the stalactite upon the point of the stalagmite.
The Young Trailers|Joseph A. Altsheler

British Dictionary definitions for stalactite

stalactite

/ (ˈstæləkˌtaɪt) /

noun

a cylindrical mass of calcium carbonate hanging from the roof of a limestone cave: formed by precipitation from continually dripping waterCompare stalagmite

Derived forms of stalactite

stalactiform (stəˈlæktɪˌfɔːm), adjectivestalactitic (ˌstæləkˈtɪtɪk) or stalactitical, adjective

Word Origin for stalactite

C17: from New Latin stalactites, from Greek stalaktos dripping, from stalassein to drip

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 stalactite

stalactite

[ stə-lăk′tīt′ ]

A cylindrical or conical mineral deposit projecting downward from the roof of a cave or cavern, formed by the dripping of water saturated with minerals. Stalactites form gradually as the minerals precipitate out of the saturated water. They usually consist of calcite but can also consist of other minerals. Compare stalagmite.