Wiktionary

stalactite

English

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Etymology

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A group of stalactites in Brazil.

From New Latin stalactites, from Ancient Greek σταλακτός (stalaktós, “dripping; dropping”) + Latin -ītēs (suffix with the sense ‘belonging to’ forming adjectives) (modelled after the names of stones ending in -ites). Σταλακτός (Stalaktós) is derived from σταλάσσειν (stalássein, “to drip; to let (something) drip”) + -τός (-tós, suffix forming adjectives denoting possibility from verbs).[1][2]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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stalactite (plural stalactites)

  1. (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.
    • 2014 October 31, David W. Lloyd, “Deep in Vietnam, Exploring a Colossal Cave”, in The New York Times‎[1]:
      There is the Hang Ken cave with its waterfalls spilling into large lagoons, shimmering goldlike mineral deposits and soaring columns created over thousands of years when stalactites hanging from the cave roof met stalagmite formations building from the cave floor.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ Compare “stalactites, n.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, July 2023.
  2. ^ “stalactite, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Further reading

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French

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des stalactites

Etymology

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Borrowed from New Latin stalactites, from Ancient Greek σταλακτός (stalaktós).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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stalactite f (plural stalactites)

  1. (geology) stalactite
    Antonym: stalagmite
  2. icicle

Further reading

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