Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
stalactite - 5 dictionary results

sta⋅lac⋅tite

  [stuh-lak-tahyt, stal-uhk-tahyt]
Use stalactite in a Sentence
–noun
a deposit, usually 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.
Origin:
1670–80; < NL stalactites < Gk stalakt(ós) dripping (stalag-, s. of stalássein to drip + -tos verbid suffix) + NL -ites -ite 1

Related forms:
stal⋅ac⋅tit⋅ic  [stal-uhk-tit-ik] , stal⋅ac⋅tit⋅i⋅cal, adjective
stal⋅ac⋅tit⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To stalactite
sta·lac·tite   (stə-lāk'tīt', stāl'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 (stāl'āk-tĭt'ĭk, stə-lāk'-) 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.
Cite This Source

Stalactite

Sta*lac"tite\, n.; pl. Stalactites. [Gr. ? oozing out in drops, dropping, fr. ? to drop: cf. F. stalactite.] (Geol.) (a) A pendent cone or cylinder of calcium carbonate resembling an icicle in form and mode of attachment. Stalactites are found depending from the roof or sides of caverns, and are produced by deposition from waters which have percolated through, and partially dissolved, the overlying limestone rocks. (b) In an extended sense, any mineral or rock of similar form and origin; as, a stalactite of lava.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : stalactite
Italian: stalattite,
German: der Stalaktit,
Japanese: しょう乳石
More Translations »

stalactite 
1677, Anglicized from Mod.L. stalactites (used 1654 by Olaus Wormius), from Gk. stalaktos "dripping," from stalassein "to trickle," from PIE base *stag- "to seep, drip, drop" (cf. Ger. stallen, Lith. telziu "to urinate").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
stalactite   (stə-lāk'tīt')  Pronunciation Key 
A cylindrical or conical mineral deposit projecting downward from the roof of a cave or cavern, formed by the dripping of 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. Compare stalagmite.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see stalactite on Thesaurus | Reference