释义 |
cal·ci·um \ˈkalsēəm\ noun (-s) Usage: often attributive Etymology: New Latin, from Latin calc-, calx lime + New Latin -ium — more at chalk 1. : a silver-white rather soft bivalent metallic element of the alkaline-earth group that quickly tarnishes in air and when heated burns with a brilliant light, used chiefly in alloys and in various metallurgical processes, often as a scavenger, and never occurring native but very common in combination in certain minerals and rocks, especially as a carbonate (as in limestone), sulfate, or phosphate, in practically all natural waters, and in most animals and plants as an essential constituent — symbol Ca; see element table 2. a. : a very strong white light source given by lime heated to incandescence in an oxyhydrogen flame — compare limelight b. : the flame of acetylene gas generated by reaction of calcium carbide with water |