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Glite Dictionary
diatomaceous

diatomaceous

9.9
Made of the hard, glass-like shells of tiny water plants called diatoms
  • adjective
  • /ˌdaɪəˈtoʊmeɪʃəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : diatomáceo
  • The diatomaceous remains found in the sedimentary rock provide valuable information about ancient aquatic ecosystems.

Examples

  • I also add in a little bit of oyster shell and some diatomaceous earth, so I feel like it's a really good blend.

  • Don't use diatomaceous earth as a as an insecticide against ants.

  • And I also have my diatomaceous earth when we come across the anthills.

  • And so he gave me diatomaceous clay, like actually food grade dirt that you can consume.

  • Japanese beetles are a hard bodied beetle, and diatomaceous earth works to kill hard bodied beetles.

  • Bacteria, viruses, diatomaceous plankton, tart tardigrades, fungi that this stuff is raining down more or less constantly.

  • Diatomaceous earth is often used in gardening to enhance soil quality due to its silica content.

  • Many people use diatomaceous materials to filter water because of their fine structure.

Compounds

diatomaceous earth
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A soft, light powder made from fossil bits of tiny water plants used to kill insects and filter liquids

Surface Forms

diatomaceous positive

Morphology

diatomaceous = diatom (transparent) = diatom + aceous

The word is a regular scientific adjective formed from 'diatom' plus the suffix '-aceous', meaning 'consisting of' or 'relating to'.

Etymology

Diatomaceous comes from diatom, the very small water plant that has a hard 'glass-like' shell, and the ending -aceous, which you can think of as 'made of'. So something diatomaceous is 'made of' the tiny glass shells of dead diatoms, which is why diatomaceous earth can filter water and be used as a natural insect powder.