alluvial

[uh-loo-vee-uhl]

adjective

1. of or relating to alluvium.

noun

1. alluvial soil.

2. Australia.,  gold-bearing alluvial soil.

alluvial

/ əˈluːvɪəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to alluvium

noun

1. another name for alluvium

2. alluvium containing any heavy mineral, esp gold

Other Word Forms

• nonalluvial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of alluvial¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; alluvi(um) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

There were fat ones that were completely symmetrical, and others that were huge and flat, like alluvial fans.

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He crunched across alluvial soil in scuffed sneakers.

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The forested ridges catch rain, and water percolates into the canyon’s alluvial soil, where the trees’ roots tap into shallow groundwater.

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From Zabriskie Point, visitors can survey a wonderland of rock formations and alluvial flow, and it’s just about impossible to tell what happened last week from what happened last century.

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“The weaker alluvial sediments can amplify shaking, and mountains are vulnerable to landsliding, including along the roads that lead to mountain villages.”

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Related Words

• carnal 
• mundane 
• physical 
• temporal 
• terrestrial 
• worldly