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stalagmite

[stuh-lag-mahyt, stal-uh g-mahyt]
noun
  1. 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
Related formsstal·ag·mit·ic [stal-uh g-mit-ik] /ˌstæl əgˈmɪt ɪk/, stal·ag·mit·i·cal, adjectivestal·ag·mit·i·cal·ly, adverb
Can be confusedstalactite stalagmite
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for stalagmite

Historical Examples

  • It will be seen that, at one place, the stalactite has united with the stalagmite below.

    The Prehistoric World

    E. A. Allen

  • Above these beds was a stratum of black earth, underneath a sheet of stalagmite.

  • Under the stalagmite the largest number of animal bones have been found.

    Primitive Man

    Louis Figuier

  • The remains were very old, and were encrusted with stalagmite.

  • Rick sat with his back against the cold surface of a stalagmite column.

British Dictionary definitions for stalagmite

stalagmite

noun
  1. a cylindrical mass of calcium carbonate projecting upwards from the floor of a limestone cave: formed by precipitation from continually dripping waterCompare stalactite
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Derived Formsstalagmitic (ˌstæləɡˈmɪtɪk) or stalagmitical, adjective

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for stalagmite

n.

1680s, from Modern Latin stalagmites (Olaus Wormius), from Greek stalagmos "a dropping," or stalagma "a drop, drip," from stalassein "to trickle" (see stalactite).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
stalagmite in Science

stalagmite

[stə-lăg′mīt′]
  1. 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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.