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

The main problem appears to be that acidification, which removes calcium carbonate from the soil, leads to a reduction in the number of snails, whose shells provide calcium for nesting birds readying themselves to lay. —Jules Howard, TIME, 4 Sep. 2024

According to Mondo, the construction of a track using biogenic calcium carbonate offsets the emissions of a Euro 4 diesel vehicle driving 60,000 kilometers. —Jorge Garay, WIRED, 30 July 2024

Since taking over the property in 2023, Six Senses has built a hydroponic farm and organic garden that currently provides the resort with around 150 pounds of herbs and vegetables per month — an impressive feat given the island’s natural soil is made up of nutrient-deficient calcium carbonate. —Jessica Vincent, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2024

Corals are animals that secrete calcium carbonate skeletons that form reefs. —Justine Calma, The Verge, 7 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

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