The more commonly found form putti is the plural of the Italian word putto. The Italian word comes from the Latin word putus, meaning boy or child. Today, in Italian, putto means either toddler winged angel or, rarely, toddler boy.
What exactly is the difference between stalactites and stalagmites? Which one hangs above and which one stands up from the ground? Stalactites and stalagmites are what are known as speleothems, deposits of minerals that form into cave structures and line the insides of a cave. Stalactites are the formations that hang from the ceilings of caves like icicles, while stalagmites look like they're emerging from the ground and stand up like a traffic cone. Some may take thousands of years to form, while others can grow quite rapidly.
A stalactite (UK /ËstaelÉktaÉªt/ , ËSTÃ¦LÉKTAÉªT /us/ ; stÉËlaektaÉªt stÉËlÃ¦ktaÉªt From the, (greek), stalasso ÏÏÎ±Î»Î¬ÏÏÏ, to drip and meaning that) which drips is a type of formation that hangs from the ceiling, of caves, hot springs or manmade structures such as bridges. and mines stalactite is not necessarily a speleothem, though speleothems are the most common form of stalactite because of the abundance of limestone caves.