carbonate-like
|car-bon-ate-like|
🇺🇸
/ˈkɑɹ.bə.neɪt.laɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˈkɑː.bən.eɪt.laɪk/
resembling a carbonate
Etymology
'carbonate-like' originates from English by combining 'carbonate' and the suffix '-like'. 'Carbonate' comes from Modern Latin 'carbonas' via French 'carbonate', ultimately related to Latin 'carbo' meaning 'coal' or 'carbon'. The suffix '-like' derives from Old English 'līc' meaning 'body' or 'form'.
'carbonate' entered scientific English from Modern Latin/French in the 18th–19th centuries; the productivity of the adjectival suffix '-like' (Old English 'līc' → Middle English '-liche' → modern '-like') has long allowed the formation of compounds such as 'carbonate-like'.
Initially, 'carbonate' referred to salts of carbonic acid; attached to '-like', the compound has always meant 'having resemblance to or properties of carbonates', so the core meaning has remained descriptive of similarity.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
resembling or containing a carbonate (a compound containing the carbonate ion CO3^2−); having chemical properties typical of carbonates.
The sample showed a carbonate-like composition when analyzed under the microscope.
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Adjective 2
having physical characteristics typical of carbonate minerals (for example, powdery texture, effervescence in acid).
The soil had a carbonate-like texture and fizzed slightly when vinegar was applied.
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Last updated: 2025/10/09 00:41