Adjacent Words

Calcium definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CALCIUM, n. The metallic basis of lime.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light; the fifth most abundant element in the earth's crust; an important component of most plants and animals [syn: calcium, Ca, atomic number 20]

Merriam Webster's

noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: New Latin, from Latin calc-, calx lime Date: 1808 a silver-white divalent metallic element of the alkaline-earth group occurring only in combination — see element table

Dictionary of the Elements

calcium
Symbol: Ca
Atomic number: 20
Atomic weight: 40.08
Soft grey metallic element belonging to group 2 of the periodic table. Used a reducing agent in the extraction of thorium, zirconium and uranium. Essential element for living organisms.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. a soft grey metallic element of the alkaline earth group occurring naturally in limestone, marble, chalk, etc., that is important in industry and essential for normal growth in living organisms. Usage: Symb.: Ca. Phrases and idioms: calcium carbide a greyish solid used in the production of acetylene. calcium carbonate a white insoluble solid occurring naturally as chalk, limestone, marble, and calcite, and used in the manufacture of lime and cement. calcium hydroxide a white crystalline powder used in the manufacture of plaster and cement; slaked lime. calcium oxide a white crystalline solid from which many calcium compounds are manufactured: also called QUICKLIME, CALX. calcium phosphate the main constituent of animal bones and used as bone ash fertilizer. calcium sulphate a white crystalline solid occurring as anhydrite and gypsum. Etymology: L CALX lime + -IUM

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Calcium Cal"ci*um (k[a^]l"s[i^]*[u^]m), n. [NL., from L. calx, calcis, lime; cf F. calcium. See Calx.] (Chem.) An elementary substance; a metal which combined with oxygen forms lime. It is of a pale yellow color, tenacious, and malleable. It is a member of the alkaline earth group of elements. Atomic weight 40. Symbol Ca. Note: Calcium is widely and abundantly disseminated, as in its compounds calcium carbonate or limestone, calcium sulphate or gypsum, calcium fluoride or fluor spar, calcium phosphate or apatite. Calcium light, an intense light produced by the incandescence of a stick or ball of lime in the flame of a combination of oxygen and hydrogen gases, or of oxygen and coal gas; -- called also Drummond light.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Calcium is a soft white element which is found in bones and teeth, and also in limestone, chalk, and marble.

Foolish Dictionary

An earthly light that brightens even the stars.