calamite

[ kal-uh-mahyt ]

noun
  1. any fossil plant of the genus Calamites and related genera of the Carboniferous Period, resembling oversized horsetails and constituting much of the coal used as fuel.

Origin of calamite

1
1745–55; <New Latin Calamites the genus name, Latin calamītēs<Greek kalamī́tēs reedlike. See calamus, -ite1

Other words from calamite

  • cal·a·mi·te·an [kal-uh-mahy-tee-uhn], /ˌkæl əˈmaɪ ti ən/, adjective
  • ca·lam·i·toid [kuh-lam-i-toid], /kəˈlæm ɪˌtɔɪd/, adjective

Words Nearby calamite

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How to use calamite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for calamite

calamite

/ (ˈkæləˌmaɪt) /


noun
  1. any extinct treelike plant of the genus Calamites, of Carboniferous times, related to the horsetails

Origin of calamite

1
C19: from New Latin Calamītes type genus, from Greek kalamitēs reedlike, from kalamos reed

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