stalactites

1. Rock structures formed on the ceilings of caves as water drips down, leaving behind minerals before it falls. ( Compare stalagmites .)

Notes

Stalactites grow very slowly.

One easy way to distinguish stalactites from stalagmites is to recall that stalactites “hold tight ” to the ceiling of a cave. Stalagmites “ might reach the ceiling” of the cave and form a column.

Example Sentences

After a short walk through a maze of stalactites, Michael is lowered into the dark.

From BBC

The metal structure is being eaten away by microbes, creating stalactites of rust called rusticles.

From BBC

Arching over the emerald basin are walls of stalactites dripping down the cavern ceiling, which opens to a dense jungle.

From Seattle Times

Large stalactites hang from the rock ceiling above me, but I’m running along a brick road.

From Literature

The drips from the stalactites and the hot waterfall from the source inside gives you a natural shower and sauna experience like nowhere else.

From Seattle Times