| calciferous | a. [ L. calx, calcis, lime + -ferous. ] Bearing, producing, or containing calcite, or carbonate of lime. [ 1913 Webster ]
Calciferous epoch (Geol.), an epoch in the American lower Silurian system, immediately succeeding the Cambrian period. The name alludes to the peculiar mixture of calcareous and siliceous characteristics in many of the beds. See the Diagram under Geology. [ 1913 Webster ]
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| calciferol | n. One of the forms of vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets. It is an unsaturated alcohol (C28H43OH) found in foods such as milk and fish liver oils. It is used as a dietary supplement in milk.
Syn. -- vitamin D, ergocalciferol, cholecarciferol, D. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ] |