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.
The calcium carbonate then goes into the ground water which moves down farther into the cave. The water will find its way into small crack and crevasses. The dripping water will create formations called stalactites and stalagmites. Stalactites (they grow from the ceiling)and stalagmites (they grow from the floor) are not technically limestone. They form in caves because as the limestone is dissolved calcium carbonate is put into solution in the ground water. This solution drips through crack and slowly forms stalactites and stalagmites.