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.
In response to the floods, the worst in 30 years, authorities were on the alert, reinforcing earthen barriers and preparing to evacuate if needed.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
Green has a toothier texture and fresher flavor; red is saucier with dusky, earthen undertones.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Or it could simply indicate that collectors feel safer splurging on a household-name artist like Rembrandt, a Renaissance man famed for his pensive, realistic self-portraits in earthen hues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
What survives of this ancient city today includes two long rows of rectangular earthen mounds, each about a meter high.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2025
North of Seattle the swollen Skagit River sliced though earthen dikes near its mouth and sent tidal salt water spilling across twenty thousand acres of the richest farmland in the state.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
