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Glite Dictionary
slaked lime

slaked lime

6.9
A soft white powder made by adding water to quicklime used to make plaster and to reduce soil acidity
  • noun
  • /sleɪkt laɪm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cal
  • The plaster used to finish the ceiling contains slaked lime, ensuring a smooth and durable surface.

Examples

  • To prepare the mortar for the brick wall, the builder mixed sand with slaked lime for better adhesion.

  • "You put a fifty-pound bag of slaked lime in the next crucible and your problem is over.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • When making traditional limewash, artisans add water to slaked lime to create a paint that is both breathable and eco-friendly.

Synonyms

calcium hydroxide
vsslaked lime
  • Specialized
5.1

A white powder made by adding water to lime and used in mortar and to reduce acid in soil

is the common builder term highlighting use in mortar and plaster
lime hydrate
vsslaked lime
  • Specialized
7.4

A white powder used in plaster and to make soil less acidic

is the term used especially for building work rather than broad industrial use
calcium hydrate
vsslaked lime
  • Specialized
6.6

A white chemical that can burn skin, used in building and farming to make soil less acidic

is focused on building mortar and plaster rather than agricultural uses
hydrated lime
vsslaked lime
  • Specialized
6.1

A white powder used in building, farming, and cleaning water

is mainly noted as a builders material for mortar and plaster use

Surface Forms

slaked lime singular
slaked limes plural

Morphology

slake + lime

The meaning is directly compositional: 'slaked' denotes lime that has been treated with water (the process 'to slake') and 'lime' names the quicklime material, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer 'lime that has been slaked' (i.e., calcium hydroxide). The form follows a common past-participle + noun pattern for a treated/substance result and is linguistically transparent despite being a technical term.

Etymology

The term slaked lime comes from the old process of adding water to hot, hard lime, which made it 'slake'—the lumps hissed, cooled, and turned into a soft white powder. So slaked means 'treated with water', and the name tells you this is lime that has been soaked to make it soft.