A stalagmite is a long piece of rock which sticks up from the floor of a cave. Stalagmites are formed by the slow dropping of water containing the mineral lime.
stalagmite in British English
(ˈstæləɡˌmaɪt)
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
Derived forms
stalagmitic (ˌstæləɡˈmɪtɪk) or stalagmitical (ˌstalagˈmitical)
adjective
Word origin
C17: from New Latin stalagmites, from Greek stalagmos dripping; related to Greek stalassein to drip; compare stalactite
stalagmite in American English
(stəˈlægmaɪt; ˈstæləgˌmaɪt)
noun
a cone-shaped, secondary mineral deposit built up on the floor of a cave by dripping water, often from a stalactite above
Derived forms
stalagmitic (ˌstalagˈmitic) (ˌstæləgˈmɪtɪk)
adjective
Word origin
ModL stalagmites < Gr stalagmos, a dropping < stalassein, to drop or drip: see stale2
Examples of 'stalagmite' in a sentence
stalagmite
I gaze at the solitary stalagmite of calcified chewing gum six inches in front of my face and wonder whether this was such a good idea.
Alex George LOVE YOU MADLY (2002)
Using a shoelace from her pack she looped the light around the slender tip of a head-high stalagmite.