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

When water evaporates from a still-hot, nearly empty kettle, remaining calcium and magnesium crystallize into calcium carbonate (not to be confused with sodium bicarbonate, a.k.a. —Emily Farris, Bon Appétit, 25 Mar. 2025

Contain ingredients or combination of ingredients such as aluminum hydroxide (such as Mylanta, Maalox), calcium carbonate (such as Tums or Rolaids), magnesium hydroxide (such as Milk of Magnesia, Mylanta), and sodium bicarbonate (such as Alka-Seltzer).11 Provide quick relief. —Karen Berger, Pharmd, Verywell Health, 24 Mar. 2025

In expansion, individual polyps deposit calcium carbonate beneath their bodies in a cuplike shape, which enlarges as the polyp grows. —Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2025

Your healthcare provider may recommend or prescribe: Antacids: OTC antacids, such as Milk of Magnesia (magnesium hydroxide) and Tums (calcium carbonate), neutralize the effects of stomach acids to provide quick, short-term pain relief. —Lindsay Curtis, Health, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for calcium carbonate

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• excommunicate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate

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