tufa

[ too-fuh, tyoo- ]

noun

, Geology.

1. Also called calcareous tufa, calc-tufa, a porous limestone formed from calcium carbonate deposited by springs or the like. Compare travertine.
2. (not in technical use) tuff 2 .

tufa

/ ˈtjuːfə; tjuːˈfeɪʃəs /

noun

1. a soft porous rock consisting of calcium carbonate deposited from springs rich in lime Also calledcalc-tufa

tufa

/ to̅o̅′fə /

1. A soft, friable, and porous sedimentary rock consisting of calcium carbonate and formed by the evaporation of water, especially at the mouth of a hot spring or on a drying lakebed. It is similar to, but harder than, travertine.

Derived Forms

• tufaceous, adjective

Other Words From

• tu·fa·ceous [too-, fey, -sh, uh, s, tyoo-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tufa¹

1760–70; < Italian tufo < Latin tōfus

Word History and Origins

Origin of tufa¹

C18: from Italian tufo , from Late Latin tōfus

Example Sentences

In these Etruscan travel essays, pages and pages of descriptions and interpretations are devoted to what he finds inside the tombs, including porches, columns, household items made out of stone and tufa beds.

From Washington Post

These are chambers excavated in the tufa on either side of the galleries, with which they communicate by doors, as seen in Fig. 4.

From Project Gutenberg

For the same reason the different piani were generally separated by a thick stratum of solid tufa.

From Project Gutenberg

At B will be observed the employment of masonry to strengthen the crumbling walls of the friable tufa.

From Project Gutenberg

The tufa granolare, on the contrary, was admirably adapted for the construction of these subterranean cemeteries.

From Project Gutenberg

The most ancient and lowest stratum of this igneous formation is a compact conglomerate known as tufa lithoide.

From Project Gutenberg