a. [f. L. calcāri-us of lime (f. calc-em + -ārius) + -OUS. The spelling in -eous, which appeared about 1790, is erroneous, influenced by words in -eous, from L. -eus. The etymological sense of calcar-eous would be ‘of the nature of a spur.’]
Of the nature of (carbonate of) lime; composed of or containing lime or lime-stone.
1677. Plot, Oxfordsh., 52. If … the stones be of the warm calcarious kind.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist., IV. 10. An animal or calcarious earth, which ferments with vinegar.
1792. A. Young, Trav. France, 284. Mellow loam … on a calcareous bottom.
1802. Bingley, Anim. Biog. (1813), I. 34. Eggs covered with a hard, calcareous shell.
1854. Woodward, Mollusca, 81. The calcarious grit of Berkshire.
1878. Huxley, Physiogr., viii. 120. If a water be described simply as calcareous, it is generally assumed that the particular salt of lime which it holds in solution is the carbonate.
b. Calcareous earth = lime, chalk; calcareous spar = CALC-SPAR; calcareous tufa = CALC-TUFF.
1756. Watson, in Phil. Trans., XLIX. 806. Ten grains of calcarious earth.
1799. Mitchill, Med. Geog., in Med. Jrnl., I. 255. Chalk, or calcareous earth.
1816. Sir H. Davy, in Faraday, Exp. Res., 4. Calcareous tufas … found in every part of Italy.
1817. R. Jameson, Charac. Min., 107. Calcareous spar, heavy spar afford examples of the hexahedral prism.
Hence Calcareously adv., Calcareousness.
1816. Keatinge, Trav. France, etc. II. 167. This bank appears to be calcareously stratified.
1864. Webster, Calcareousness.
