argillaceous

[ ahr-juh-ley-shuhs ]

/ ˌɑr dʒəˈleɪ ʃəs /

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adjective

Geology, Petrology. of the nature of or resembling clay; clayey.

containing a considerable amount of clayey matter.

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Origin of argillaceous

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

Words nearby argillaceous

argh, arghool, Argie, argie-bargie, argil, argillaceous, argilliferous, argillite, arginase, arginine, Argive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use argillaceous in a sentence

Its soil is often a hard, cracked, and parched clay rather than a waste of sand, and it constitutes an argillaceous table-land.
The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies|Robert Gordon Latham
I also picked up a detached mass of argillaceous oxide of iron, and some fragments of striped hornstone.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
Argillaceous Rocks are rocks in which clay prevails (including shales and slates).
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2|Various
Its powder is a light red, and emits an argillaceous odor when wetted.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

The substratum of these ridges is an argillaceous, compact soil of the eldest formation.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

British Dictionary definitions for argillaceous

argillaceous

/ (ˌɑːdʒɪˈleɪʃəs) /

adjective

(of sedimentary rocks and deposits) composed of very fine-grained material, such as clay, shale, etcCompare arenaceous (def. 1), 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