Meanings
- archaicuncountablechemistrySynonym of calamine, a pink form of zinc oxide formed as a byproduct during sublimation.
[…] was the first who publickly declar'd and prov'd Lapis Calaminaris to be the ore of Zinck.
1748, John Hill, The history of fossils, page 625Synonyms: calamine
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of calamine, a pink form of zinc oxide formed as a byproduct during sublimation.
Origin
- Ancient Greekκᾰδμῐ́ᾱ
- Latincadmia
- Medieval Latinlapis calamīnāris
- Englishlapis calaminaris
From Medieval Latin lapis calamīnāris, from lapis (“stone, mineral”) + calamīnāris (“of or related to calamine”), from calamīna (“calamine”) + -āris (“-ary: forming adjectives”), from Latin cadmia, from Ancient Greek κᾰδμῐ́ᾱ (kădmĭ́ā), variant of Κᾰδμείᾱ (Kădmeíā), from Κάδμος (Kádmos, “Cadmus”) + -εια (-eia, “-ia: forming related substances”). Doublet of cadmia, calamine, and calaminaris.
More words from Medieval Latin, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
lapis calaminaris. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lapis%20calaminaris
“lapis calaminaris.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lapis%20calaminaris. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lapis calaminaris,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lapis%20calaminaris.
Source: lapis calaminaris on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.