stalagmite

[ stuh-lag-mahyt, stal-uhg-mahyt ]

/ stəˈlæg maɪt, ˈstæl əgˌmaɪt /

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noun

a deposit, usually of calcium carbonate, more or less resembling an inverted stalactite, formed on the floor of a cave or the like by the dripping of percolating calcareous water.

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Origin of stalagmite

1675–85; <New Latin stalagmites<Greek stálagm(a) a drop (stalag-, stem of stalássein to drip + -ma noun suffix of result) + New Latin -ites-ite¹

OTHER WORDS FROM stalagmite

stal·ag·mit·ic

[stal-uhg-mit-ik], /ˌstæl əgˈmɪt ɪk/, stal·ag·mit·i·cal, adjectivestal·ag·mit·i·cal·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH stalagmite

stalactite, stalagmite

Words nearby stalagmite

stalactiform, stalactite, stalactites, stalactite work, stalag, stalagmite, stalagmites, stalagmometer, St. Albans, St. Albert, stale

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

How to use stalagmite in a sentence

These were frequently buried beneath deposits of stalagmite and other materials that must have taken a long time to accumulate.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
Stalagmite with a few bones and antlers of reindeer, the thickness varying from one to fifteen inches.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
The evidences from peat bogs, stalagmite formations, stone, iron and bronze tools are all now considered unreliable by scientists.
The Other Side of Evolution|Alexander Patterson
Slow water fell drop by drop from the point of the stalactite upon the point of the stalagmite.
The Young Trailers|Joseph A. Altsheler

This stalagmite is much deeper in colour and less translucent than the onyx marbles of Algeria and Mexico.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 6|Various

British Dictionary definitions for stalagmite

stalagmite

/ (ˈstæləɡˌmaɪt) /

noun

a cylindrical mass of calcium carbonate projecting upwards from the floor of a limestone cave: formed by precipitation from continually dripping waterCompare stalactite

Derived forms of stalagmite

stalagmitic (ˌstæləɡˈmɪtɪk) or stalagmitical, adjective

Word Origin for stalagmite

C17: from New Latin stalagmites, from Greek stalagmos dripping; related to Greek stalassein to drip; compare stalactite

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 stalagmite

stalagmite

[ stə-lăg′mīt′ ]

A cylindrical or conical mineral deposit, similar to a stalactite but built up from the floor of a cave or cavern. Stalagmites are typically broader than stalactites. The two formations are often, but not always, paired, and they sometimes join at a midpoint to form a pillar. Compare stalactite.