chalkpit

9.7

A pit where people dig chalk from the ground

noun
/ˈtʃɔːkˌpɪt/

: cantera de tiza

Miners worked in the chalkpit for hours extracting large blocks of chalk.

Examples

The old chalkpit behind the village has become a wildlife reserve.
Many chalkpits are located in southern England.
A deep chalkpit was discovered near the construction site.
The chalkpit was filled with workers extracting the mineral.
The miners extracted chalk from the deep chalkpit every day.
Visitors can hike around the old chalkpit that once supplied the town.
A large chalkpit was found during the excavation for new buildings.

Synonyms

quarry

vschalkpit

55 4.9

An open place in the ground where people remove stone

is narrower, naming excavations that remove only one specific mineral

chalk pit

vschalkpit

6.8

A large hole in the ground where people dig out chalk

has identical meaning but is written as one word

How Big

opencast mining

5.7

quarry

55 4.9

chalkpit

9.7

pit

230 3.6

hole

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

chalkpit singular

chalkpits plural

Morphology

chalkpit = chalk + pit (transparent) = chalk + pit

Direct compound of 'chalk' + 'pit' denoting a pit from which chalk is extracted; meaning is directly inferable from the parts.

Etymology

The word chalkpit is made from two simple English words: chalk, meaning 'soft white rock', and pit, meaning 'a hole in the ground'. So a chalkpit is a hole or quarry where people dig out chalk.