a soft porous rock consisting of calcium carbonate deposited from springs rich in lime
Also called: calc-tufa
Derived forms
tufaceous (tjuːˈfeɪʃəs)
adjective
Word origin
C18: from Italian tufo, from Late Latin tōfus
tufa in American English
(ˈtufə; ˈtjufə)
noun
any of various sedimentary rocks, as travertine, made up of deposits of calcium carbonate formed by evaporationor precipitation in or near a cave, spring, lake, etc.
Derived forms
tufaceous (tuˈfaceous) (ˈtuˈfeɪʃəs; ˈtjuˈfeɪʃəs)
adjective
Word origin
It tufo, tufa, kind of porous stone < L tofus, tuff, tufa