quicklime

[ kwik-lahym ]

noun

1. lime ²( def 1 ).

quicklime

/ ˈkwɪkˌlaɪm /

noun

1. another name for calcium oxide

Word History and Origins

Origin of quicklime¹

1350–1400; Middle English quyk lym, translation Latin calx vīva; quick, lime ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of quicklime¹

C15: from quick (in the archaic sense: living) + lime ¹

Example Sentences

In the scorching heat, they forced the soldiers to dig their own graves, shot them dead one by one and buried the bodies, covering the remains with quicklime, according to a witness.

From New York Times

They were killed and we poured quicklime on them.

From BBC

Burning vast amounts of wood to convert limestone into quicklime ravaged the forests, which led to soil erosion and water contamination.

From Los Angeles Times

Lime clasts have long been observed in the quicklime, or calcium oxide, that was a mainstay of the Roman empire’s concrete mixtures.

From Washington Times

But Masic and his colleagues wondered whether they were instead caused by the Romans using quicklime in their mix before setting it with water.

From Science Magazine