Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A conical mineral deposit, usually calcite or aragonite, built up on the floor of a cavern, formed from the dripping of mineral-rich water.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Carbonate of lime deposited on the floor of a cavern. See stalactite.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Geol.) A deposit more or less resembling an inverted stalactite, formed by calcareous water dropping on the floors of caverns; hence, a similar deposit of other material.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun geology A mineral deposit of calcium carbonate, in shapes similar to icicles, that lie on the ground of a cave.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a cylinder of calcium carbonate projecting upward from the floor of a limestone cave

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin stalagmītēs, a drop, from Greek stalagma, a drop, or stalagmos, dropping, both from stalassein, stalak-, to drip.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek στάλαγμα ("drop") or σταλαγμός ("dripping").

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Examples

  • : A 1,800-year-old stalagmite from a Chinese cave has revealed that, in the past, warmer years were associated with stronger East Asian monsoons.

    President-Elect in Name, 2008

  • The findings come from 1,800-year record of the Asian monsoon preserved in a stalagmite from a Chinese cave.

    Climate Ark Climate Change & Global Warming RSS Newsfeed 2008

  • The top of the stalagmite was a bulbous shape that extended out from the curve.

    Crusader Gold Gibbons, David 2007

  • The top of the stalagmite was a bulbous shape that extended out from the curve.

    Crusader Gold Gibbons, David 2007

  • Surrounding the stalagmite was a large number of artifacts, including sherds of high-quality Hellenistic Greek and Illyrian pottery.

    Phallic Cult 2001

  • And that, in some cases at least, this cave residence ended a very long time ago, we are assured, for since then a great thickness of stalagmite, which is deposited with extreme slowness, has spread over the lower cave deposits and sealed them in.

    Man And His Ancestor A Study In Evolution Charles Morris 1877

  • The piety commended is, in either case, a kind of stalagmite piety, built up from below, with the disadvantage of no drippings from above; a really cavernous formation, upon which the’ true light of day never shone.

    Sermons for the New Life. 1802-1876 1876

  • Sajjad Hussain/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Devotees flock to the holy cave to pay homage to an ice stalagmite associated with the Hindu God Shiva.

    Pilgrims Head to Amarnath 2011

  • Still, the Union Square staple serves up decent inexpensive food, and we had just arrived in time to see disgruntled chess players, skaters skipping class at NYU and that woman who practically lives in the park selling stalagmite candle holders scatter to the pounding rhythm of the sudden monsoon.

    Derek Beres: The Unlikely Making of a Yoga Dude Derek Beres 2010

  • Caves of Aven ArmandThree years on, our granddaughter now 11 has not forgotten her visit to this spectacular cave, home to the world's largest known stalagmite which, throughout its 30 metres, sparkles like a diamond.

    Readers' tips: family attractions in France 2011

Comments

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  • up

    July 13, 2007

  • I always thought this was about wee beasties in German POW camps during WWII (or, perhaps the "I know nossing!!!" Stalag 13 crew on TV). :oP

    July 13, 2007

  • Wow! That one must have taken some thinking! ;-)

    July 13, 2007