calcaire
/kal.kɛʁ/masculine
Limestone in French is calcaire.
calcaire refers to the abundant rock of marine and fresh-water sediments. In everyday French, le calcaire is frequently used to refer to limescale buildup in appliances or pipes.
Meaning: abundant rock of marine and fresh-water sediments (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word calcaire can function as both a noun meaning limestone and an adjective meaning calcareous or made of limestone.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /kal.kɛʁ/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- Many of the world's most famous Gothic cathedrals in France were built using pierre calcaire because it is easy to carve but hardens over time when exposed to air.
- The term calcaire can appear in French culinary descriptions to indicate a mineral-heavy soil that affects the character of wines or vegetables.
- The word calcaire shares an ancient root with the English word 'chalk', which is a specific type of soft, white limestone.
Examples in context
- La tuyauterie est bouchée à cause du calcaire.The piping is clogged up because of the limestone.Tatoeba #8317369 by Julien_PDC, translation #11618278 by tieguy
- Ils vont devoir extraire beaucoup de roches calcaires pour construire la nouvelle église.They're going to need to quarry a lot of limestone in order to build the new church.Tatoeba #9853997 by lbdx, translation #3332755 by _undertoad
- The magnificent buildings of Paris, such as the Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Louvre Museum, showcase the exquisite use of calcaire in their construction.Les magnifiques bâtiments de Paris, tels que la cathédrale Notre-Dame et le musée du Louvre, témoignent de l'utilisation exquise du calcaire dans leur construction.
- Ce mur est fait de calcaire blanc.This wall is made of white limestone.
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are visiting an old quarry.
- ChloéRegarde ce gros bloc de calcaire.Look at this huge block of limestone.
- LucasIl est très lourd, Chloé.It is very heavy, Chloé.
- ChloéLe calcaire est facile à sculpter.Limestone is easy to sculpt.
- LucasC'est vrai, c'est une bonne pierre.It's true, it is a good stone.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “limestone” translations and entries calcaire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries calcaire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
