calcium

noun, often attributive

cal·ci·um | \ ˈkal-sē-əm

Definition of calcium

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

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 on the Web

The nuts are know for being high in linoleic acid (essential fatty acid typically found in plants), vitamin E, Omega 6, copper, iron, calcium, and magnesium. — Shalwah Evans, Essence, "Charlotte Mensah Has Found The Next Miracle Beauty Ingredient, And She’s Sharing," 26 June 2019 Children who regularly eat foods full of nutrients — such as calcium, iron and Vitamin C — are less likely to absorb lead, Gassaway said. — Bailey Loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville kids are still at risk for lead poisoning. Here's how healthy eating can help," 25 June 2019 In the 1940s and ‘50s, more than 100 boys at Fernald were fed cereal containing radioactive iron and calcium as part of an experiment by MIT and oatmeal producer Quaker. — Ysabelle Kempe, BostonGlobe.com, "High school class uncovers identities of those in cemetery for disabled," 12 June 2019 The salt in your sweat and tears, the calcium of your bones, and the iron in your blood all eroded out of the rocks of Earth’s crust; and the sulphur of the protein molecules in your hair and muscles was spewed out by volcanoes. — Nathaniel Rich, Harper's magazine, "Ruina Mundi," 10 May 2019 Negative feedback allows our bodies to maintain the constancy of our internal environment, allowing us to survive by keeping the blood levels of scores of key substances such as calcium, potassium, glucose and certain hormones relatively constant. — Quanta Magazine, "How Equality and Inequality Shape the Birds and the Bees," 17 Oct. 2018 In fact, the team found that the fish have a mutation in the primary gene responsible for calcification, the buildup of calcium to harden the bones. — Douglas Main, National Geographic, "How the world’s deepest fish survives bone-crushing pressure," 15 Apr. 2019 These accidental bactericides included proton-pump inhibitors such as omeprazole (used to treat acid reflux), calcium-channel blockers (to lower blood pressure), antihistamines, painkillers and antipsychotics. — The Economist, "Non-antibiotic drugs promote antibiotic resistance," 19 Mar. 2018 The recent work also identifies multiple new targets for therapies, including Kir4.1 together with another target the work implicated in burst-firing, called t-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels (t-VSCCs). — Simon Makin, Scientific American, "Getting the Inside Dope on Ketamine’s Mysterious Ability to Rapidly Relieve Depression," 2 Mar. 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.

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6 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for calcium

The first known use of calcium was in 1808

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More Definitions for calcium

calcium

noun

English Language Learners Definition of calcium

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

See the full definition for calcium in the English Language Learners Dictionary

calcium

noun

cal·ci·um | \ ˈkal-sē-əm

Kids Definition of calcium

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

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