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stalagmite - 5 dictionary results

sta⋅lag⋅mite

  [stuh-lag-mahyt, stal-uhg-mahyt]
Use stalagmite in a Sentence
–noun
a deposit, usually of calcium carbonate, more or less resembling an inverted stalactite, formed on the floor of a cave or the like by the dripping of percolating calcareous water.

Origin:
1675–85; < NL stalagmites < Gk stálagm(a) a drop (stalag-, s. of stalássein to drip + -ma n. suffix of result) + NL -ites -ite 1

Related forms:
stal⋅ag⋅mit⋅ic  [stal-uhg-mit-ik] , stal⋅ag⋅mit⋅i⋅cal, adjective
stal⋅ag⋅mit⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sta·lag·mite   (stə-lāg'mīt', stāl'əg-)   
n.  A conical mineral deposit, usually calcite or aragonite, built up on the floor of a cavern, formed from the dripping of mineral-rich water.

[New Latin stalagmītēs, a drop, from Greek stalagma, a drop, or stalagmos, dropping, both from stalassein, stalak-, to drip.]
stal'ag·mit'ic (stāl'əg-mĭt'ĭk, stə-lāg'-) 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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Stalagmite

Sta*lag"mite\, n. [Gr. ? that which drops, a drop, fr. ? to drop; cf. F. stalagmite.] (Geol.) A deposit more or less resembling an inverted stalactite, formed by calcareous water dropping on the floors of caverns; hence, a similar deposit of other material.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : stalagmite
Italian: stalagmite,
German: der Stalagmit,
Japanese: 石じゅん
More Translations »

stalagmite 
1681, from Mod.L. stalagmites (Olaus Wormius), from Gk. stalagmos "a dropping," or stalagma "a drop, drip," from stalassein "to trickle" (see stalactite).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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stalagmite   (stə-lāg'mīt')  Pronunciation Key 
A cylindrical or conical mineral deposit, similar to a stalactite but built up from the floor of a cave or cavern. Stalagmites are typically broader than stalactites. The two formations are often, but not always, paired, and they sometimes join at a midpoint to form a pillar. Compare stalactite.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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