stalactite
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Related to stalactite: chemical weathering
sta·lac·tite
(stə-lăk′tīt′, stăl′ək-)n.
An icicle-shaped mineral deposit, usually calcite or aragonite, hanging from the roof of a cavern, formed from the dripping of mineral-rich water.
[New Latin stalactītēs, from Greek stalaktos, dripping, from stalassein, stalak-, to drip.]
sta·lac′ti·form′ adj.
stal′ac·tit′ic (stăl′ăk-tĭt′ĭk, stə-lăk′-) adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
stalactite
(ˈstæləkˌtaɪt)n
(Geological Science) a cylindrical mass of calcium carbonate hanging from the roof of a limestone cave: formed by precipitation from continually dripping water. Compare stalagmite
[C17: from New Latin stalactites, from Greek stalaktos dripping, from stalassein to drip]
stalactic, staˈlactical, stalactital, stalactitic, ˌstalacˈtitical adj
stalactiform, less commonly stalactitiform adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
sta•lac•tite
(stəˈlæk taɪt, ˈstæl əkˌtaɪt)n.
a deposit, usu. of calcium carbonate, shaped like an icicle, hanging from the roof of a cave or the like, and formed by the dripping of percolating calcareous water.
[1670–80; < New Latin stalactites < Greek stalakt(ós) dripping (v. adj. of stalássein to drip) + New Latin -ites -ite1]
stal`ac•tit′ic (-ˈtɪt ɪk) adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
sta·lac·tite
(stə-lăk′tīt′) A cylindrical or conical mineral deposit projecting downward from the roof of a cave or cavern, formed by dripping water saturated with minerals. Stalactites form gradually as the minerals precipitate out of the saturated water. They usually consist of calcite, but can also consist of other minerals.
Usage If you find it hard to remember the difference between stalagmites and stalactites, you are not alone. Both words refer to mineral deposits that form in caves. The source of each word is the Greek word stalassein, which means "to drip." This is appropriate, since each kind of deposit is formed by the dripping of mineral-rich water within caves. The difference is in position and orientation. A stalactite is an icicle-shaped deposit that hangs from the roof of a cavern, and a stalagmite is a conical mineral deposit that extends up from the floor of a cavern. And what do you call it when a stalagmite and stalactite meet and form a column? What else but a stalacto-stalagmite!
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
stalactite
A “stone icicle” formed on a cave ceiling from dissolved calcium carbonate deposited as dripping water evaporates.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
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| Noun | 1. | stalactite - a cylinder of calcium carbonate hanging from the roof of a limestone cave cave - a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea cylinder - a surface generated by rotating a parallel line around a fixed line dripstone - the form of calcium carbonate found in stalactites and stalagmites |
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Translations
stalaktit
stalaktit
StalaktitTropfstein
függõ cseppkõ
dropasteinn
stalaktitas
stalaktīts
stalaktit
sarkıtstalaktitdamla taş
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
stalactite
n → Stalaktit m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
stalactite
(ˈstӕləktait) , ((American) stəˈlӕktait) noun a spike of limestone hanging from the roof of a cave etc formed by the dripping of water containing lime.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.