calcium carbonate

noun

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

Examples of calcium carbonate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Creatures like snails, clams, oysters and mussels use an organ called a mantle to secrete layers of calcium carbonate, which crystallize and harden. — Natalie Hamilton, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2021 Certain species of marine mollusks called chitons are encircled by girdles of tough tissue capped with overlapping scales of calcium carbonate, the rigid compound that encases many shellfish. — Sophie Bushwick, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2020 Acidification reduces sealife’s access to building blocks like calcium carbonate, killing off shelled organisms. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 11 Aug. 2021 Layers of transparent calcium carbonate crystals in the shell are arrayed as multiple microscopic sheets, with each layer diffracting and reflecting a sliver of light. — Quanta Magazine, 21 June 2021 Layers of transparent calcium carbonate crystals in the shell are arrayed as multiple microscopic sheets, with each layer diffracting and reflecting a sliver of light. — Quanta Magazine, 21 June 2021 Layers of transparent calcium carbonate crystals in the shell are arrayed as multiple microscopic sheets, with each layer diffracting and reflecting a sliver of light. — Quanta Magazine, 21 June 2021 The acidification column looks at how rising global temperatures are destroying coral reefs and shellfish species’ ability to create calcium carbonate shells. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 June 2021 Layers of transparent calcium carbonate crystals in the shell are arrayed as multiple microscopic sheets, with each layer diffracting and reflecting a sliver of light. — Quanta Magazine, 21 June 2021

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.

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Last Updated

5 Nov 2021

Cite this Entry

“Calcium carbonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calcium%20carbonate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.

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More Definitions for calcium carbonate

calcium carbonate

noun

Kids Definition of calcium carbonate

: a solid substance that is found as limestone and marble and in plant ashes, bones, and shells

calcium carbonate

noun

Medical Definition of calcium carbonate

: a calcium salt CaCO₃ that is found in limestone, chalk, marble, plant ashes, bones, and many shells, that is obtained also as a white precipitate by passing carbon dioxide into a suspension of calcium hydroxide in water, and that is used in dentifrices and in pharmaceuticals as an antacid and to supplement bodily calcium stores