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Oolite

 - 4 dictionary results

o⋅o⋅lite

  [oh-uh-lahyt]
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–noun Geology.
a limestone composed of minute rounded concretions resembling fish roe, in some places altered to ironstone by replacement with iron oxide.
Also called egg stone.

Origin:
1775–85; (< F oölithe) < NL oölithēs. See oo-, -lite

Related forms:
o⋅o⋅lit⋅ic  [oh-uh-lit-ik] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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o·o·lite   (ō'ə-līt')   
n.  

  1. A small round calcareous grain found, for example, in limestones.

  2. Rock, usually limestone, composed of oolites.

o'o·lit'ic (-lĭt'ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

oolite 
"rock consisting of fine grains of carbonate of lime," 1785, from Mod.L. oolites, from oo-, comb. form of Gk. oon "egg" (cognate with O.E. æg, see egg) + lithos "stone." So called because the rock resembles the roe of fish.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

oolite

ovoid or spherical crystalline deposit with a concentric or radial structure; most are composed of calcium carbonate, but some are composed of silica, siderite, calcium phosphate, iron silicate, or iron oxide. Oolite diameters range from 0.25 to 2 mm (0.01 to 0.08 inch), with most being in the 0.5- to 1-millimetre range; oolitic bodies with diameters greater than 2 mm are called pisolites.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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