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

Calcium citrate may cause fewer adverse effects than calcium carbonate. —Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 19 Feb. 2025

Sea scallops are part of the bivalve family because the animals inside create their own shells through the secretion of calcium carbonate, according to the Ocean Conservancy. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2025

According to a safety sheet from Delta College - University Center, AJAX cleaning products contain small amounts of crystalline silica, a naturally occurring impurity in calcium carbonate. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 8 Feb. 2025

Water hardness is measured by the milligrams of calcium carbonate per liter of water(mg/L). —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 22 Jan. 2025

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