Skip to content

calamine

noun

  1. form of zinc oxide
L58168 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

noun

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.

  1. 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.

    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.

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

verb

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.

  1. To coat or treat with calamine.