sediment
Americannoun
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the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid; lees; dregs.
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Geology. mineral or organic matter deposited by water, air, or ice.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
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material that has been deposited from water, ice, or wind
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Geology Solid fragmented material, such as silt, sand, gravel, chemical precipitates, and fossil fragments, that is transported and deposited by water, ice, or wind or that accumulates through chemical precipitation or secretion by organisms, and that forms layers on the Earth's surface. Sedimentary rocks consist of consolidated sediment.
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Particles of solid matter that settle out of a suspension to the bottom of the liquid.
Other Word Forms
- sedimentous adjective
- self-sedimented adjective
Etymology
Origin of sediment
1540–50; < Latin sedimentum, equivalent to sedi- (combining form of sedēre to sit 1, settle) + -mentum -ment
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.
A microbial film on the outer surface of the carcass then attracted clay particles from the surrounding wet sediment through electrostatic forces.
From Science Daily
However, scientists were unsure whether those teeth came from exactly the same sediment layer as the foot.
From Science Daily
Both the heated fluids from below and the cooler, methane-filled gases from the sediments move upward through the same pathways.
From Science Daily
For many years, scientists have known that fine particles from space steadily fall to Earth and accumulate in ocean sediments.
From Science Daily
Imprinted in sediments or sedimentary rock, they record a specific moment of activity and confirm the exact location where an individual stood or moved.
From Science Daily
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.
