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calcareous tufa

 - 4 dictionary results

tu⋅fa

  [too-fuh, tyoo-]
–noun Geology.
1. Also called calcareous tufa, calc-tufa, calc-tuff. a porous limestone formed from calcium carbonate deposited by springs or the like. Compare travertine.
2. (not in technical use) tuff2.
Origin:
1760–70; < It tufo < L tōfus

Related forms:
tu⋅fa⋅ceous  [too-fey-shuhs, tyoo-] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

tufa 
"a porous rock," 1770, from It. tufa, from L. tophus "loose, porous volcanic rock," an Oscan-Umbrian loan-word.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
tufa   (t'fə)  Pronunciation Key 
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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