Coccolith

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A microscopic skeletal plate of calcite on the surface of certain marine phytoplankton; it forms chalk and limestone when fossilized
  2. 2
    Alternative form of coccolite (“diopside”). alt-of, alternative

Etymology

Etymology 1

Derived from coccolithophore. By surface analysis, Ancient Greek κόκκος (kókkos, “grain, seed”) + Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos, “stone”), due to the shape of the organism's exoskeleton.

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek κόκκος (kókkos, “kernel”) + -lith.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.