calcium carbonate

noun

|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

Definition of calcium carbonate

: a compound CaCO₃ found in nature as calcite and aragonite and in plant ashes, bones, and shells and used especially in making lime and portland cement and as a gastric antacid

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Recent Examples of calcium carbonate from the Web

Many rivers are dumping more sediment into the ocean—carrying heavy metals—as a result of things like soil erosion; continuing ocean acidification will scrub calcium carbonate from that sediment, changing the character of the layer.

— scott k. johnson, Ars Technica, "Are we sure there wasn’t a coal-burning species 55 million years ago?," 23 Apr. 2018
Otoliths are made up of calcium carbonate, the same material that makes up egg shells and pearls.

— kevin davenport, idahostatesman, "Symphony of the salmon: How scientists are learning by putting fish migration to music," 9 July 2018
The steam travels through loops that efficiently dump heat into the calcium carbonate before reaching a generator turbine that provides the plant’s electricity.

— scott k. johnson, Ars Technica, "Machines that suck CO₂ from the air might be cheaper than we thought," 7 June 2018
When the coral slices were put in the X-ray scanner, a distinctive series of light and dark growth rings became visible, reflecting the density of the calcium carbonate that made up the coral skeleton.

— elizabeth svoboda, Scientific American, "Cores from Coral Reefs Hold Secrets of the Seas’ Past and Future," 6 June 2018
The tests will include a plume of ice crystals, calcium carbonate and forms of sulfur that volcanos tend to erupt.

— john fialka, Scientific American, "The Best Way to Shade Earth," 5 July 2018
That’s illuminating because reefs are built by tiny coral organisms that create their own skeletons out of calcium carbonate.

— veronique greenwood, New York Times, "This Burrowing Clam Is Not Boring. It Uses Acid to Make Its Home.," 14 June 2018
These contain crystals of calcium carbonate called raphides, which take the form of microscopic needles.

— kenneth setzer, miamiherald, "Some of South Florida's most popular plants may be toxic to pets," 14 June 2018
The solution flows upward through tiny pellets of calcium carbonate, keeping them suspended.

— scott k. johnson, Ars Technica, "Machines that suck CO₂ from the air might be cheaper than we thought," 7 June 2018

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

First Known Use of calcium carbonate

1868

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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