calcium

See also: Calcium

English

Chemical element
Ca
Previous: potassium (K)
Next: scandium (Sc)

Etymology

Coined by British chemist Humphry Davy in 1808, from Latin calx (lime, limestone) because it occurs in limestone.[1]

Pronunciation

  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈkælsi.əm/
  • (Philippine) IPA(key): /ˈkæl.ʃəm/
  • (file)

Noun

calcium (countable and uncountable, plural calciums)

  1. The chemical element (Symbol Ca), with an atomic number 20. It is a soft, silvery-white alkaline earth metal which occurs naturally as carbonate in limestone and as silicate in many rocks.
    • 2013 September-October, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist:
      Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: [] . The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light. The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom.
  2. (countable) An atom of this element.
Calcium sample

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

  1. Chambers Dictionary of Etymology, Robert K. Barnhart (ed.), Chambers, 1988

Further reading

Danish

Alternative forms

Noun

calcium

  1. calcium

Declension

Dutch

Chemical element
Ca
Previous: kalium (K)
Next: scandium (Sc)

Etymology

Ultimately from English calcium. Coined by Humphry Davy.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkɑl.siˌʏm/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: cal‧ci‧um

Noun

calcium n (uncountable)

  1. calcium [from early 19th c.]

Derived terms

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kal.sjɔm/
  • (file)

Noun

calcium m (uncountable)

  1. calcium

Descendants

  • Lingala: kalisu

Further reading

Interlingua

Noun

calcium (uncountable)

  1. calcium

Latin

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Form of calx.

Noun

calcium

  1. genitive plural of calx

Etymology 2

Chemical element
Ca
Previous: kalium (K)
Next: scandium (Sc)

Derived from calx, calcis (chalk) + -ium (chemical element suffix).

Noun

calcium n (genitive calciī); second declension

  1. (New Latin) calcium
Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case Singular Plural
Nominative calcium calcia
Genitive calciī calciōrum
Dative calciō calciīs
Accusative calcium calcia
Ablative calciō calciīs
Vocative calcium calcia
Descendants
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