Calamine
noun, verb
noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 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. uncountable, usually
"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"
- 2 a white mineral; a common ore of zinc wordnet
- 3 Synonym of hemimorphite, an orthorhombic-pyramidal mineral containing zinc. uncountable, usually
Verb
- 1 To coat or treat with calamine. transitive
Example
More examples"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"
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.
Related phrases
More for "calamine"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.