- a cylindrical mass of calcium carbonate hanging from the roof of a limestone cave: formed by precipitation from continually dripping water
Compare stalagmite
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
sta•lac•tite /stəˈlæktaɪt, ˈstæləkˌtaɪt/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Geologya deposit, usually of calcium carbonate, shaped like an icicle, hanging from the roof of a cave or the like, and formed by the dripping of water.
sta•lac•tite
(stə lak′tīt, stal′ək tīt′),USA pronunciation n.
stal•ac•tit•ic
(stal′ək tit′ik),USA pronunciation stal′ac•tit′i•cal, adj.
stal′ac•tit′i•cal•ly, adv.
- Geologya deposit, usually of calcium carbonate, shaped like an icicle, hanging from the roof of a cave or the like, and formed by the dripping of percolating calcareous water.
- Greek stalakt(ós) dripping (stalag-, stem of stalássein to drip + -tos verbid suffix) + Neo-Latin -ites -ite1
- Neo-Latin stalactites
- 1670–80;
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
stalactite /ˈstæləkˌtaɪt/ n
'stalactitic' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):