stalactite
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
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[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈstælæktaɪt/, /-lək-/, /stəˈlæktaɪt/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /stəˈlækˌtaɪt/, /ˈstæləkˌtaɪt/
- Hyphenation: sta‧lac‧tite
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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References[edit]
- ^ Compare “stalactites, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023.
- ^ “stalactite, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
Further reading[edit]
- stalactite on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
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.
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *-tós
- English terms borrowed from New Latin
- English terms derived from New Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Geology
- English terms with quotations
- French terms borrowed from New Latin
- French terms derived from New Latin
- French terms derived from Ancient Greek
- French 3-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French feminine nouns
- fr:Geology