concretion

noun

con·​cre·​tion kän-ˈkrē-shən 

kən-

1

: something concreted: such as

a

: a hard usually inorganic mass (such as a bezoar or tophus) formed in a living body

b

: a mass of mineral matter found generally in rock of a composition different from its own and produced by deposition from aqueous solution in the rock

2

: the act or process of concreting : the state of being concreted

concretion of ideas in a hypothesis

concretionary

kän-ˈkrē-shə-ˌner-ē 

kən-

adjective

Examples of concretion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The concretions preserved the soft-bodied organism from further decay, but unfortunately the fossils are often flattened due to the weight of the overlying sediment. —David Bressan, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023

In the mud layers deposited around 300 million years ago at the bottom of a basin, marine organisms are preserved inside carbonate concretions. —David Bressan, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023

During excavations, the archaeologists found Spanish silver coins concreted into the shapes of the sacks that once contained them and recovered a cup attached to a large, unidentified concretion weighing about 100 pounds. —Michael Bawaya, Discover Magazine, 29 Apr. 2015

This fossil was preserved in a concretion—a sedimentary structure that tends to form around fossil material—and was discovered by chance at the end of a frustratingly fruitless series of digs. —Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 6 June 2022

The complete shape of sharks could be represented in the fossils, Colleary said, because of the way they were encased in a mineral formation called a concretion. —Peter Krouse, cleveland, 7 Feb. 2022

But paleontologists can also search for concretions, or rocks that form around cores of ancient bone. —National Geographic, 24 Oct. 2019

Rhinoliths are stone-like concretions formed by the gradual buildup of salts around things not normally found in the nose. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 31 Oct. 2019

Patients suffering from the concretions typically present with a variety of symptoms, including nasal obstruction, headaches, facial pain and discharge from the nose. —Matthew Robinson, CNN, 31 Oct. 2019

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Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin concrētiōn-, concrētiō "formation into something solid," from concrē-, stem of concrēscere "to coalesce, condense, solidify, harden" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at concrescence

First Known Use

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

concretion

noun

con·​cre·​tion kän-ˈkrē-shən 

kən-

1

: a hard usually inorganic mass formed in a living body

2

: a lump or egg-shaped mass of mineral matter found in rock of different composition

Medical Definition

concretion

noun

con·​cre·​tion kän-ˈkrē-shən, kən- 

: a hard usually inorganic mass (as a tophus) formed especially from mineral salts in a living body