stalagmite
Americannoun
-
a deposit, usually of calcium carbonate, more or less resembling an inverted stalactite, formed on the floor of a cave or the like by the dripping of percolating calcareous water.
noun
-
a cylindrical mass of calcium carbonate projecting upwards from the floor of a limestone cave: formed by precipitation from continually dripping water Compare stalactite
-
A cylindrical or conical mineral deposit, similar to a stalactite but built up from the floor of a cave or cavern. Stalagmites are typically broader than stalactites. The two formations are often, but not always, paired, and they sometimes join at a midpoint to form a pillar.
-
Compare stalactite
Other Word Forms
- stalagmitic adjective
- stalagmitical adjective
- stalagmitically adverb
Etymology
Origin of stalagmite
1675–85; < New Latin stalagmites < Greek stálagm ( a ) a drop ( stalag-, stem of stalássein to drip + -ma noun suffix of result) + New Latin -ites -ite 1
Compare meaning
How does stalagmite compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Yet stalagmites offer new insights into climate fluctuations because the German researchers could examine the isotopic composition of oxygen in a southern German stalagmite that had been formed from hard water.
From Salon • Jan. 22, 2024
With a growth rate of one to four centimetres per millennium, or an annual growth rate of about the width of a single hair, this stalagmite grew much more slowly than comparable ones.
From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 2024
The glowing stalagmite chandeliers, electric neon art of cacti, waves and sun punctuate the walls of the ocean-blue California Room, the venue’s second stage.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2023
During the annual pilgrimage, tens of thousands of Hindus cross glaciers and waterlogged trails to reach the cave which contains an ice stalagmite considered to be a physical manifestation of the god Shiva.
From Reuters • Jul. 8, 2022
I grabbed the stalagmite and pulled it toward me, but it didn’t budge.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.