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coccolith

The English word “coccolith” has 1 meaning listed here.

noun

  1. A microscopic skeletal plate of calcite on the surface of certain marine phytoplankton; it forms chalk and limestone when fossilized

Etymology

Derived from coccolithophore. By surface analysis, Ancient Greek κόκκος (kókkos, “grain, seed”) + Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos, “stone”), due to the shape of the organism's exoskeleton.

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