argillaceous

American

[ahr-juh-ley-shuhs] / ˌɑr dʒəˈleɪ ʃəs /

adjective

Geology, Petrology. of the nature of or resembling clay; clayey.
containing a considerable amount of clayey matter.

argillaceous British

/ ˌɑːdʒɪˈleɪʃəs /

adjective

(of sedimentary rocks and deposits) composed of very fine-grained material, such as clay, shale, etc Compare arenaceous rudaceous

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of argillaceous

First recorded in 1725–35, argillaceous is from the Latin word argillāceus clayish. See argil, -aceous

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023