coccolith

[ kok-uh-lith ]

noun
  1. a microscopic calcareous disk or ring making up part of the covering of certain marine plankton and forming much of the content of chalk rocks.

Origin of coccolith

1
1865–70; <New Latin Coccolithus originally a genus name; see coccus, -o-, -lith

Other words from coccolith

  • coc·co·lith·ic, adjective

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British Dictionary definitions for coccolith

coccolith

/ (ˈkɒkəlɪθ) /


noun
  1. any of the round calcareous plates in chalk formations: formed the outer layer of unicellular plankton

Origin of coccolith

1
C19: New Latin, from Greek kokkos berry + lithos stone

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