stalagmite

[stuh-lag-mahyt, stal-uh g-mahyt]

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.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for stalagmite

Historical Examples of stalagmite

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.
The Prehistoric World
E. A. Allen
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.
Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents and Strange Events
S. Baring-Gould
Rick sat with his back against the cold surface of a stalagmite column.
The Caves of Fear
John Blaine

British Dictionary definitions for stalagmite

stalagmite

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 Formsstalagmitic (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

Word Origin and History for stalagmite

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

stalagmite in Science

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.