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calcium Definition

cal·cium (kal′sē əm)

noun

a soft, silver-white, metallic chemical element, one of the alkaline-earth metals, found in limestone, marble, chalk, etc., always in combination: it is used as a reducing agent and in fertilizer, and is the essential part of bones, shells, and teeth: symbol, Ca; at. no., 20

Etymology: ModL < L calx (gen. calcis), lime < or akin to Gr chalix, pebble + -ium: so named (1808) by Sir Humphry Davy

calcium Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • absorb: They contain a form of calcium easily absorbed by the body.
  • leach: Animal protein is high in sulfur which can leach calcium from the bones and form painful kidney stones.
  • dissolve: Acid water, which seeps through the limestone layers, dissolves the calcium, which is forming the stalactites.
  • deplete: Long-term use of ascorbic acid at high intake levels may deplete calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Preposition: in

urine: High protein diets increase the loss of calcium in the urine.

Adjective modifier

  • supplemental: Studies have shown that taking 800 to 1,000 mg of supplemental calcium per day can reduce the rate of bone loss in postmenopausal women.
  • elemental: What's more, it also has the most elemental calcium ( 40 % of the total molecule ).
  • dietary: The sunlight when outside in the open also helps the rabbit to absorb dietary calcium.
  • coral: But coral calcium contains high levels of alkaline minerals which help to promote a more alkaline state.
  • urinary: Bran, an insoluble fiber, reduces the absorption of calcium enough to cause urinary calcium to fall.
  • extracellular: Studies in salamanders and mice show that low extracellular calcium increases calcium signaling between neurons in the eye as well as in the nose.

Modifies a noun

  • carbonate: In fact these stones are crystals of minerals like calcium carbonate.
  • oxalate: Not only that, but this effect was found even at very high levels of calcium oxalate.
  • blocker: Calcium channel blockers ' relax ' the coronary arteries to increase blood flow.
  • supplementation: Even the most positive trials show that calcium supplementation has only minor effects on bone mass.
  • phosphate: It is made up of crystals or prisms of calcium phosphate.
  • hydroxide: Recently, packing the abscess cavity with calcium hydroxide has been recommended.

Noun used with modifier

  • serum: PTH assay was either elevated or inappropriately normal for the serum calcium in all patients tested.
  • reticulum: During activation of contraction in skeletal muscle, sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium -release channels open.
  • mg: It is worth taking 600 mg magnesium to 300 mg calcium daily to see if this relieves the problem.