Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

quicklime

/ˈkwɪkˌlaɪm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.93 in modern English

Syllables: quick-lime
IPA: /ˈkwɪkˌlaɪm/

26

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Calcium oxide, which is produced by heating (calcining) limestone and gives slaked lime on treatment with water.

Countable; Uncountable

verb

To treat (something) with quicklime.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"The Warders strutted up and down, / And kept their herd of brutes, / Their uniforms were spick and span, / And they wore their Sunday suits, / But we knew the work they had been at, / By the quicklime on their boots."
"Considerable difficulty is experienced in several of the West Indian islands in obtaining quicklime for the preparation of Bordeaux mixture, and in keeping it in good condition when it has been procured. This has resulted in the use of slaked, or partially slaked, lime for the purpose, with the result that an inferior mixture has been produced. Instead of resorting in this difficulty to expensive and unsatisfactory commercial preparations, it may be suggested that the use of Burgundy mixture, in which the lime is replaced by sodium carbonate (washing soda) offers an alternative that is likely to give excellent results."

Etymology

From Middle English quyk lym; equivalent to quick + lime.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: quyk lym

Usage

Inflected Forms

quicklimes (plural) quicklimes (present, singular) quickliming (participle, present) quicklimed (participle, past) quicklimed (past)

Frequently Paired Words

slaked lime calcium hydroxide limewater milk of lime limelight

Synonyms

anhydrous lime burnt lime caustic lime unhydrated lime calcium oxide lime calx calcined lime fluxing lime unslaked lime

Questions

How do you pronounce quicklime?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkwɪkˌlaɪm/.
What does quicklime mean?: Calcium oxide, which is produced by heating (calcining) limestone and gives slaked lime on treatment with water.
Where does quicklime come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce quicklime

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “quicklime”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkwɪkˌlaɪm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “quicklime”.
Repeat and practice — Say “quicklime” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.