stalactite
English edit
Etymology edit
From New Latin stalactites, from Ancient Greek σταλακτός (stalaktós, “dripping”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
stalactite (plural stalactites)
- (geology) A secondary mineral deposit of calcium carbonate or another mineral, in shapes similar to icicles, that hangs from the roof of a cave.
- Coordinate term: stalagmite
- 1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XXXIII, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC:
- In one place, near at hand, a stalagmite had been slowly growing up from the ground for ages, builded by the water-drip from a stalactite overhead.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
mineral deposit hanging from the roof of a cave
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French edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from New Latin stalactites, from Ancient Greek σταλακτός (stalaktós).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
stalactite f (plural stalactites)
- (geology) stalactite
- Antonym: stalagmite
- icicle
Further reading edit
- “stalactite”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.