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Definition of "caliche" [ca•li•che]

  • A crude sodium nitrate occurring naturally in Chile, Peru, and the southwest United States, used as fertilizer. (noun)
  • See sodium nitrate. (noun)
  • See hardpan. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "caliche" in a sentence
  • "The term caliche is Spanish and is originally from the Latin calx, meaning lime."
  • "In alkaline soils of arid and semiarid areas a white, nonporous layer composed mainly of calcium carbonate and known as caliche, can form in this horizon, and if it is too close to the surface it may cause problems with root growth and drainage (Box 9.3)."
  • "There is also a thick layer of hard clay, known as caliche, that allows the heavy planes to be stored on the desert without a concrete pad or steel for parking."
Words like "caliche"