You searched for: “stalactite”
stalactite
1. An icicle-like formation of calcium carbonate (calcite or aragonite), dripping from the roof or sides of a cavern and produced by the dropping of water over a long time which has percolated through, and partially dissolved, the overlying limestone.
2. A conical hanging pillar in a limestone cave that has gradually built up as a deposit from ground water seeping through the cave's roof.
This entry is located in the following unit: stalac-, stalag- (page 1)
stalactite (stuh LAK tight")
A conical or roughly cylindrical speleothem formed by dripping water and hanging from the roof of a cave like an icicle; usually composed of calcium carbonate: "When we went to the cave, we could see the stalactites hanging from the ceiling."
This entry is located in the following unit: stalac-, stalag- (page 1)
stalactite, stalacto-stalagmite, stalagmite, stalemate
stalactite (stuh LAK tight") (noun)
A conical or roughly cylindrical speleothem formed by dripping water and hanging from the roof of a cave like an icicle; usually composed of calcium carbonate: "When we went to the cave, we could see the stalactites hanging from the ceiling."
stalacto-stalagmite (stuh LAK toh-stuh LAG might) (noun)
A columnar deposit formed by the union of a stalactite with its complementary stalagmite composed of mineral-rich water: "The combination of stalactites and stalagmites caused an interesting stalacto-stalagmite formation in this very large cave."
stalagmite (stuh LAG might") (noun)
A conical speleothem formed upward from the floor of a cave by the action of dripping water from a stalactite; usually composed of calcium carbonate: "In contrast to the thin stalactite, there is a massive stalagmite, which is 40 feet (12.19 meters) up from the floor of the cave."
stalemate (STAYL mayt") (noun)
Any position in which no action can be taken; complete standstill; deadlock, impasse, standoff; blockage: "The stubborn negotiators could not agree so they reached a stalemate and never resolved the issue of having a gambling casino in the city."

This is a stalactite image This is a stalagmite image This is a stalmate image
This is a stalactite. This is a stalagmite. Uh, this is a stalemate.

—Word Info image © ALL rights reserved.

A stalactite holds tight to the ceiling while a stalagmite just might reach up to the ceiling.

There were some spelunkers who were at a stalemate because when they saw a stalactite and a stalagmite formed together as one unit; they finally decided that what they had discovered was a stalacto-stalagmite.

This entry is located in the following unit: Confusing Words Clarified: Group S; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. + (page 8)