calcium carbonate

noun

: 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 Otoliths are formed in a fish’s inner ear with calcium carbonate layers as the fish grows. The Arizona Republic, 19 Feb. 2024 That extra acidity interferes with how organisms like crustaceans build their shells, and how corals build their calcium carbonate skeletons. Matt Simon, WIRED, 18 Jan. 2024 Cova Dones is a karstic cave, Ruiz-Redondo says, meaning its walls and standing water are rich in calcium carbonate, a natural paint preservative. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024 The acidification column looks at how rising global temperatures are destroying coral reefs and shellfish species’ ability to create calcium carbonate shells. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2023 But in samples with less than 60 milligrams of calcium carbonate, boiling reduced the level of plastics by just 25 percent, reports Healthline’s Julia Ries. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 Workers deal with this by putting calcium carbonate on nests to calm ants before pruning. Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024 Many of them use calcium carbonate to form this, but some species form it from silica, which is very chemically distinct from anything done by us bilaterians. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 17 May 2023 Kitchin believes that lateral movement of the sort involved in rollerblading and skiing stimulates the otolith, a piece of calcium carbonate that sits on a person’s inner ear and triggers feelings of flow and euphoria. Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'calcium carbonate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of calcium carbonate was in 1868

Dictionary Entries Near calcium carbonate

Cite this Entry

“Calcium carbonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calcium%20carbonate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

calcium carbonate

noun
: a solid substance found in nature as limestone and marble and in plant ashes, bones, and shells and used especially in making lime and portland cement

Medical Definition

calcium carbonate

noun
: 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

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