calcium

noun, often attributive cal·ci·um \ ˈkal-sē-əm \

Updated on: 12 May 2018

Definition of calcium

: a silver-white divalent metallic element of the alkaline-earth group occurring only in combination — see Chemical Elements Table

See calcium defined for English-language learners

See calcium defined for kids

Examples of calcium in a Sentence

Her doctor said she should eat more foods that are high in calcium, such as milk and cheese.

Recent Examples of calcium from the Web

Rice pudding, chocolate pudding and ice cream can provide calcium.

— martina schimitschek, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Food challenge: Find what's good for them, and tastes good to them," 25 Apr. 2018
She was given medication to lower the level of blood calcium in her body.

— kristen jordan shamus, Detroit Free Press, "Livingston mom battles breast cancer with experimental treatments to help other patients," 22 Apr. 2018
Some types of cancer increase the amount of calcium in the blood before symptoms appear.

— megan thielking, STAT, "Scientists create a biomedical tattoo to monitor for a sign of cancer," 18 Apr. 2018
Also, American food is highly fortified -- with vitamin D in milk, iodine in salt, B vitamins in flour, even calcium in some brands of orange juice.

— liz szabo, CNN, "Enthusiasm over vitamins often outpaces evidence, experts say," 13 Apr. 2018
Instead, people may need to concentrate on getting calcium from their food choices.

— joe graedon, m.s. and teresa graedon, ph.d., charlotteobserver, "The pros and cons of calcium supplements | Charlotte Observer," 14 Mar. 2018
Some prenatals also contain calcium, according to the Mayo Clinic.

— cassie shortsleeve, SELF, "Do I Really Need to Take Prenatal Vitamins Before I’m Even Pregnant?," 19 Apr. 2018
Also, American food is highly fortified with vitamin D in milk, iodine in salt, B vitamins in flour, even calcium in some brands of orange juice.

— liz szabo, chicagotribune.com, "Older Americans are hooked on vitamins despite scarce evidence they work," 6 Apr. 2018
Nutrition | Per serving: 227 calories; 11 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; no cholesterol; 10 g protein; 25 g carbohydrate; 5 g sugar; 7 g fiber; 365 mg sodium; 45 mg calciumAfrican sweet potato-peanut stew Yield: 6 servings Adapted from delish.com.

— daniel neman, sacbee, "Spread joy: Cook with peanut butter | The Sacramento Bee," 3 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'calcium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of calcium

New Latin, from Latin calc-, calx lime

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1808

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

CALCIUM Defined for English Language Learners

calcium

noun

Definition of calcium for English Language Learners

: a substance that is found in most plants and animals and that is especially important in people for strong healthy bones

CALCIUM Defined for Kids

calcium

noun cal·ci·um \ ˈkal-sē-əm \

Definition of calcium for Students

: a silvery soft metallic chemical element that is essential for strong healthy bones

Medical Dictionary

calcium

noun, often attributive cal·ci·um \ ˈkal-sē-əm \

medical Definition of calcium

: a silver-white bivalent metallic element that is an alkaline earth metal, occurs only in combination, and is an essential constituent of most plants and animals —symbol Ca — see Chemical Elements Table