calamine

C3A1L1A1M3I1N1E1

noun

Synonym of smithsonite, a pink form of zinc oxide (mainly zinc carbonate ZnCO₃) formed as a byproduct of zinc sublimation, now used in skin lotions.

Similar
smithsonitecalaminarislapis calaminarishemimorphite
OriginFrench calamine ← Medieval Latin calamīna ← Latin cadmīa →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

nouncalamine (usually uncountable, plural calamines)

plural calamines

  1. uncountableusuallychemistrySynonym of smithsonite, a pink form of zinc oxide (mainly zinc carbonate ZnCO₃) formed as a byproduct of zinc sublimation, now used in skin lotions.

    For Secret Santa two years before, she had gifted him a bottle of calamine lotion.

    2022, Ling Ma, “Tomorrow”, in Bliss Montage, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN
    1 more example

    Poison Ivy, Lord,'ll make you itch You're gonna need an ocean Of calamine lotion You'll be scratchin' like a hound The minute you start to mess around

    1959, “Poison Ivy”, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (lyrics), performed by The Coasters

    Synonyms: smithsonite, calaminaris, lapis calaminaris

  2. uncountableusuallychemistrySynonym of hemimorphite, an orthorhombic-pyramidal mineral containing zinc.

    Synonyms: hemimorphite

verbcalamine (third-person singular simple present calamines, present participle calamining, simple past and past participle calamined)

present singular third person calamines · participle present calamining · participle past calamined · past calamined

  1. transitiveTo coat or treat with calamine.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of smithsonite, a pink form of zinc oxide (mainly zinc carbonate ZnCO₃) formed as a byproduct of zinc sublimation, now used in skin lotions.

Similar
smithsonitecalaminarislapis calaminaris

nounSynonym of hemimorphite, an orthorhombic-pyramidal mineral containing zinc.

Similar
hemimorphite

More synonyms by meaning

nouna white mineral; a common ore of zinc

Similar
hemimorphite
Broader
mineral
Also see
cadmiahemimorphitelapis calaminaris

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekΚᾰδμείᾱ
  2. Latincadmīa
  3. Medieval Latincalamīna
  4. Frenchcalamine
  5. Englishcalamine

From French calamine, from Medieval Latin calamīna, from Latin cadmīa, ultimately from Ancient Greek Κᾰδμείᾱ (Kădmeíā), from Κάδμος (Kádmos, “Cadmus”) + -εια (-eia, “-ia: forming related substances”). Doublet of cadmia, calaminaris, and lapis calaminaris.

More words from French, Medieval Latin, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Καδμεία
  • Καδμεία (Kadmeía)pink form of zinc oxide
Catalan calamina
  • calaminapink form of zinc oxide
French calamine
  • calaminepink form of zinc oxide
German mit Eisenoxid eingefärbtes Zinkoxidpulver, Calamin
  • mit Eisenoxid eingefärbtes Zinkoxidpulverpink form of zinc oxide
  • Calaminpink form of zinc oxide
  • Calaminepink form of zinc oxide
  • carbonatischer Galmeipink form of zinc oxide
Italian calamina
  • calaminapink form of zinc oxide
Latin cadmia, calamina
  • cadmiapink form of zinc oxide
  • calaminapink form of zinc oxide
  • calaminarispink form of zinc oxide
  • lapis calaminarispink form of zinc oxide
Spanish calamina, caramilla
  • calaminapink form of zinc oxide
  • caramillapink form of zinc oxide

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

analcimeanemicalcamelinaMileanca
Cite this entry
APA

calamine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calamine

MLA

“calamine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calamine. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “calamine,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calamine.

Source: calamine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.