stalagmite

[ stuh-lag-mahyt, stal-uh g-mahyt ]
/ stəˈlæg maɪt, ˈstæl əgˌmaɪt /

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-uh g-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, stalactite work, stalactites, stalag, stalagmite, stalagmites, stalagmometer, stale, stale bull, stalemate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for stalagmite

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.