limestone
Loading your saved state.
limestone
A sedimentary rock that consists mainly of calcium carbonate. It is often used as a building material or to produce cement.
Viele Burgen entlang des Rheins wurden auf Felsen aus Kalkstein errichtet.
Many castles along the Rhine were built on limestone cliffs.
'Kalkstein' (limestone) is a compound noun made up of 'Kalk' (lime) and 'Stein' (stone). So the meaning is quite literal: it is a type of rock that is rich in lime.
Die Schwäbische Alb ist bekannt für ihre Höhlen im Kalkstein.
The Swabian Jura is known for its caves in the limestone.
To express that something is made of this material, you use the preposition 'aus' (from/of). This combination is very common.
Die Figur wurde aus einem einzigen Block Kalkstein gehauen.
The figure was carved from a single block of limestone.
'Kalkstein' (limestone) is often used as the first part of compound words to describe another noun. It then functions like an adjective.
Wir wanderten durch eine beeindruckende Kalksteinschlucht.
We hiked through an impressive limestone gorge.
limescale / lime
Both words can be associated with calcareous material in construction or cement contexts. Here, Kalk refers to the obtained or processed building material, while Kalkstein refers to the natural rock used as the source material. When talking about mortar or plaster, Kalk is the right choice; when talking about the rock, Kalkstein is the right choice.
Der Steinbruch liefert Kalkstein, der später zur Herstellung von Zement verwendet wird.
The quarry supplies limestone, which is later used to make cement.
Für den neuen Putz mischte der Handwerker Kalk mit Sand und Wasser.
For the new plaster, the builder mixed lime with sand and water.
