stalactite
noun /ˈstæləktaɪt/
/stəˈlæktaɪt/
- a long pointed piece of rock hanging down from the roof of a cave (= a hollow place underground), formed over a long period of time as water containing lime runs off the roof compare stalagmiteWord Originlate 17th cent.: from modern Latin stalactites, from Greek stalaktos ‘dripping’, based on stalassein ‘to drip’.