caliche
UK[kəˈliːtʃi]US[kəˈliːtʃi]
n
A layer of calcium carbonate or other mineral salts that forms in the soil of arid regions.
Etymology
The word 'caliche' entered English in the mid-19th century from American Spanish, where it referred to a crust of salts. The Spanish term itself is believed to derive from the Latin word 'calx', meaning 'limestone' or 'pebble'. This Latin root, which also gives us 'calcium' and 'chalk', traveled through Vulgar Latin and into Spanish before being adopted into English by geologists and soil scientists in the southwestern United States and other desert regions. The term's journey reflects the physical phenomenon it names: a hard, crusty layer formed from the very minerals (calcium carbonate) denoted by its ancient root.
Analysis
This word is a direct loanword from Spanish. It is not productively formed from separable English morphemes.
Examples
The desert soil was so hard due to a layer of caliche that it was difficult to dig.
Caliche can be used as a construction material for roads in areas where it is abundant.
The presence of caliche often indicates a long history of low rainfall and high evaporation.