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Glite Dictionary
overburned lime

overburned lime

9.5
A hard powder made from limestone heated too much that does not react and makes weak mortar
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : cal sobrecalentada
  • If overburned lime is included in a mortar mix, it can lead to poor bond strength.

Examples

  • The use of overburned lime can result in weak mortar that crumbles easily.

  • If overburned lime is present in a mixture, it can compromise the durability of concrete.

  • Heating limestone for too long may produce overburned lime that is unsuitable for construction.

  • The construction site used overburned lime in their mixture.

  • He explained that overburned lime can weaken the structure.

  • Heating limestone for too long may produce overburned lime that is unsuitable for construction.

  • Using overburned lime in cement can compromise the strength and durability of the final product.

Synonyms

dead-burned lime
vsoverburned lime
  • Specialized
9.8

Material made by heating limestone until it stops reacting and does not bind well

describes the same loss of reactivity using broader wording
over-burned lime
vsoverburned lime
  • Specialized
8.7

A type of lime heated too much so it does not react with water or make strong mortar

emphasizes the high heat cause without giving a specific temperature

How Burned

dead-burned lime
  • Specialized
9.8
overburned lime
  • Specialized
9.5
quicklime
  • Specialized
2 8.3

Surface Forms

overburned lime singular
overburned limes plural

Morphology

overburn + lime

The phrase is compositionally built: 'overburned' (burned/charred by being heated too long) modifies 'lime' (calcium oxide), so the sense 'lime heated so much that it loses reactivity' follows directly from the parts. Although technical, this follows regular English morphology and compounding patterns and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The noun overburned lime comes from the literal idea of lime that has been over + burned in an oven because it was heated too long. When lime is heated too much it 'stops working' and can't help mortar 'stick' together, so the term means lime ruined by heat and useless for strong building work.