adjective
-
made of baked clay
an earthen pot
-
made of earth
Etymology
Origin of earthen
1175–1225; Middle English erthen, Old English eorthen. See earth, -en 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Earthen and other natural materials emit relatively less greenhouse gases over their lifecycle, from extraction and transportation to assembly and disposal.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2025
Earthen hues like browns, reds and yellows — colors long-associated with the heritage brand — were used at Saturday’s show to create Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski’s utilitarian, low-key yet luxuriant universe for spring.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 1, 2022
Earthen barriers have reinforced mountainside rice beds in Bali for thousands of years, channeling rainfall, curbing erosion and providing habitats for ducks that feed on agricultural pests — while also resulting in astonishing beauty.
From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2020
Earthen dams would hold back toxic mine tailings, all in earthquake country, in the headwaters of Bristol Bay, the richest sockeye salmon run in the world.
From The Guardian • Apr. 22, 2019
Earthen spires rose out of the ground, and they slowed gently as they reached the bottom, at the entrance of a dark cave.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
