tufa

American  

[too-fuh, tyoo-] / ˈtu fə, ˈtju- /

noun

Geology.

1. Also called calcareous tufa, calc-tufa, calc-tuff. a porous limestone formed from calcium carbonate deposited by springs or the like.

2. (not in technical use) tuff 2 .

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tufa British  

/ ˈtjuːfə /

noun

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

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tufa Scientific  

/ 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.

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Other Word Forms

• tufaceous
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of tufa

1760–70; < Italian tufo < Latin tōfus

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tufa

“Several horses died at South Tufa over the winter and their scavenged carcasses were draped between tufa towers and along the lakeshore.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2023

But today, just to stand beside the small tufa niche where a Jewish child was laid to rest 2,000 years ago feels like a kind of prayer.

From New York Times ● May 1, 2023

The eerie tufa towers and migratory birds of Mono Lake.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2022

Italian white varieties such as greco di tufa, fiano and roero d’arneis would work here, too.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 30, 2021

The treasury was raised on a quadrangular structure, supported on its south side by the Hellenico, and built of tufa.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 10 "David, St" to "Demidov" by Various

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