calamine
/kˈæləmˌaɪn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.96 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
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.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "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"
- "For Secret Santa two years before, she had gifted him a bottle of calamine lotion."
Etymology
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.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: calamine, calamīna, cadmīa, Κᾰδμείᾱ
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Medicine.