calamine

noun

cal·​a·​mine ˈka-lə-ˌmīn How to pronounce calamine (audio)
-mən
: a mixture of zinc oxide with a small amount of ferric oxide used in lotions, liniments, and ointments

Examples of calamine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In addition, some topical creams or ointments can be applied directly to the affected areas.8 Self-care measures: Itchy and painful skin and benefit from cool or damp compresses, calming lotions like calamine, or oatmeal baths. Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 25 May 2023 Use a moisturizer with aloe vera, soy, or calamine. Korin Miller, SELF, 6 May 2022 What better antidote for a butt-kicking than powdered calamine? Jori Epstein, USA TODAY, 17 Nov. 2021 DeGroodt used calamine lotion on his lesions and Bactine as a pain-relieving antiseptic. Kimi Robinson, The Arizona Republic, 31 Aug. 2022 Inhalers, calamine lotion, oral rehydration salts—these three medications made up the bulk of her prescriptions. Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022 The trend is also coinciding with reports that calamine lotion is becoming harder to find. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 24 July 2022 Most allergic reactions can be treated with Benadryl, calamine lotion, and anti-itch creams. Sarah Y. Wu, Glamour, 14 July 2022 The medicine cabinet, crammed with baby aspirin, calamine lotion, and viscous bottles of rose-water-glycerine. Longreads, 20 Apr. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'calamine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English calamyn ore of zinc, from Medieval Latin calamina, alteration of Latin cadmia — more at cadmium

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of calamine was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near calamine

Cite this Entry

“Calamine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calamine. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

calamine

noun
cal·​a·​mine ˈkal-ə-ˌmīn How to pronounce calamine (audio)
-mən
: a mixture of zinc oxide and a small amount of ferric oxide used in lotions, liniments, and ointments

Medical Definition

calamine

noun
cal·​a·​mine ˈkal-ə-ˌmīn, -mən How to pronounce calamine (audio)
: a mixture of zinc oxide or zinc carbonate with a small amount of ferric oxide that is used in lotions, liniments, and ointments

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