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

Corals, like many marine species, protect themselves with skeletons made from calcium carbonate. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Scientists studied 2,500 coral reefs to figure out how to save them," 12 Aug. 2019 But early research indicates that calcium carbonate, a common mineral dust, might actually help restore the ozone layer while reflecting some sunlight back into space. — John Fialka, Scientific American, "Risks of Controversial Geoengineering Approach “May Be Overstated”," 3 July 2019 Corals, like many marine species, protect themselves with skeletons made from calcium carbonate. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Scientists studied 2,500 coral reefs to figure out how to save them," 12 Aug. 2019 Using eggshells — which are primarily made of calcium carbonate — to prompt bone growth also provides a sustainable way to reuse them while advancing the technology behind these procedures, according to the researchers. — Maysoon Khan, BostonGlobe.com, "Using eggshells to grow new bone," 24 July 2019 Most calcium carbonate rocks, minerals that precipitate out of flowing water, also contain some uranium. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Humans may have reached Europe by 210,000 years ago," 10 July 2019 The bacteria creates calcium carbonate crystals that bind the sand grains together, resulting in a durable brick that can be used in construction. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Air Force Plans to 'Grow' Runways with Bacteria," 10 June 2019 Corals, like many marine species, protect themselves with skeletons made from calcium carbonate. — Isabelle Gerretsen, CNN, "Can the world's first land-based coral farm save our reefs?," 13 June 2019 His skeletons are made of the same material as natural coral, calcium carbonate (which only became printable in the last few years). — Lara Sorokanich, Popular Mechanics, "Jacques Cousteau's Grandson Wants to Save the Ocean Floor With Synthetic Coral Reefs," 16 Feb. 2017

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about calcium carbonate

Dictionary Entries near calcium carbonate

calcium channel blocker

calcium chloride

calcium citrate

Statistics for calcium carbonate

Last Updated

2 Sep 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for calcium carbonate

The first known use of calcium carbonate was in 1868

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

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