leaching

American  

[leech-ing] / ˈlitʃ ɪŋ /

noun

plural

leachings

1. the dissolution or removal of substances out of soil, ashes, or the like by a process of percolation.

2. an instance of such dissolution, or a substance removed in this way.

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leaching Scientific  

/ lē′chĭng /

1. The removal of soluble material from a substance, such as soil or rock, through the percolation of water. Organic matter is typically removed from a soil horizon and soluble metals or salts from a rock by leaching. Leaching differs from eluviation in that it affects soluble, not suspended, material and often results in the complete removal of the material from the soil or rock.

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Other Word Forms

• non-leaching
  adjective

Example Sentences

Plastic cigarette filters are the world's most littered item, leaching toxic chemicals into the environment and breaking down into microplastics -- while doing very little for the smoker, the secretariat said.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

That makes them significantly better at leaching copper from ore than conventional methods using acids, which often only capture up to half of the metal contained in the rock, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

This unusual imbalance suggested that liquid water had once seeped through the rocks, effectively leaching lutetium out of them.

From Science Daily • Oct. 16, 2025

"And the rusting metal in there is starting to leach. The iron and nickel and copper is leaching out over the rocks and it looks unsightly."

From BBC • May 27, 2025

Sarai cracked first, tipping into helpless laughter, and Feral followed, and mirth worked its mundane magic, leaching the tension from Sarai’s spine and relieving the cold dread that had been pressing on her all evening.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor