calicle

n. [ L. caliculus a small cup, dim. of calicis, a cup. Cf Calycle. ] (Zool.) (a) One of the small cuplike cavities, often with elevated borders, covering the surface of most corals. Each is formed by a polyp. (b) One of the cuplike structures inclosing the zooids of certain hydroids. See Campanularian. [ Written also calycle. See Calycle. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a deposit of sand or clay on the surface containing crystallized salts such as sodium chloride or sodium nitrate; -- used especially of the sodium nitrate deposits of Chile and Peru. RHUD [ PJC ]

2. a stratum of calcium carbonate in the soil of an arid or semiarid region. [ PJC ]