calcium chloride: Meaning and Definition of

cal'cium chlo'ride

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a white, lumpy, deliquescent solid, CaCl, usually derived from calcium carbonate by reaction with hydrochloric acid, or as a by-product of various commercial processes: used chiefly as a drying agent and preservative and for preventing dust.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.