Crossword clues for stalactite
stalactite
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Stalactite \Sta*lac"tite\ (-t[imac]t), n.; pl. Stalactites (-t[imac]ts). [Gr. stalakto`s oozing out in drops, dropping, fr. stala`zein to drop: cf. F. stalactite.] (Geol.)
A pendent cone or cylinder of calcium carbonate resembling an icicle in form and mode of attachment. Stalactites are found depending from the roof or sides of caverns, and are produced by deposition from waters which have percolated through, and partially dissolved, the overlying limestone rocks.
In an extended sense, any mineral or rock of similar form and origin; as, a stalactite of lava.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"hanging formation of carbonite of lime from the roof of a cave," 1670s, Englished from Modern Latin stalactites (used 1654 by Olaus Wormius), from Greek stalaktos "dripping, oozing out in drops," from stalassein "to trickle," from PIE root *stag- "to seep, drip, drop" (cognates: German stallen, Lithuanian telziu "to urinate") + noun suffix -ite (1). Related: Stalactic; stalactitic.
Wiktionary
n. (context geology English) A mineral deposit of calcium carbonate, in shapes similar to icicles, that hangs from the roof of a cave.
WordNet
n. a cylinder of calcium carbonate hanging from the roof of a limestone cave
Wikipedia
A stalactite (, ; from the Greek stalasso, (σταλάσσω), "to drip", and meaning "that which drips") is a type of formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or manmade structures such as bridges and mines. Any material which is soluble, can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension, or is capable of being melted, may form a stalactite. Stalactites may be composed of amberat, lava, minerals, mud, peat, pitch, sand, and sinter. A stalactite is not necessarily a speleothem, though speleothems are the most common form of stalactite because of the abundance of limestone caves.
The corresponding formation on the floor of the cave is known as a stalagmite.
Usage examples of "stalactite".
They had been swimming through a long, tubular chamber filled with stalactites and stalagmites that jutted from above and below and threatened to snag them as they were pulled along by their hydromagnetic drives.
In the south-east corner of the Mellah he placed it, and he built it partly in the Moorish and partly in the English fashion, with an open court and corridors, marble pillars, and a marble staircase, walls of small tiles, and ceilings of stalactites, but also with windows and with doors.
Stalagmites squatted like gargoyles on the cave floor while tubular stalactites hung overhead, twisting in serpentine fashion.
He pointed toward a narrow cleft between two stalactites near the roof.
Along the sides of the cavern, stalactites dripped from the ceiling and stalagmites rose up from the floor like a forest of spears.
They reached a narrows where stalactites hung from the ceiling in columns, and water dripped.
The ceiling soared two hundred feet above her, and stalagmites rose up from the floor like some petrified forest, while stalactites hung down like giant teeth.
Again and again, the zombie guardian snapped off sharp-pointed stalactites and hurled them at the adventurers.
Needles was a long, narrow cavern filled with sharp-tipped stalactites and stalagmites.
And many of the stalactites are precariously perched, hanging by a thread.
If one snapped off in the cave, it could send me plummeting to my death, or the sound could result in falling stalactites, which were just as hazardous.
The noise of that shook others loose, and suddenly stalactites were dropping like nail bombs all around me.
Thankfully, hardly any of the stalactites fell close enough to damage me.
Easing my head around, I glued my eyes to the ceiling and watched as several small stalactites fell and smashed.
I was staring up at the stalactite, judging how long I had to wriggle clear, when I thought about the stalactites around it.