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greensand

American  
[green-sand] / ˈgrinˌsænd /

noun

  1. a sandstone containing much glauconite, which gives it a greenish hue.


greensand British  
/ ˈɡriːnˌsænd /

noun

  1. an olive-green sandstone consisting mainly of quartz and glauconite

"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

Etymology

Origin of greensand

First recorded in 1790–1800; green + sand

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.

Organic materials including compost, animal manures, blood meal or rock phosphate and greensand can be used for fertilizer as well.

From Seattle Times

It is the fifth ancient penguin species described from fossils uncovered at the Waipara, where a river cuts into a cliff of greensand.

From The Guardian

Leaf mold combined with dry nutrients such as kelp, bone meal or greensand makes for a perfect top layer to be turned into the soil with a shovel or, better, a garden fork.

From Washington Post

They obtain phosphorus from rock phosphate and multiple trace elements from greensand mined from ocean deposits.

From Washington Post

Here and there along the Green gush out bright fountains of delicious water from artesian wells driven into the "greensand," some 200 feet below the surface.

From Project Gutenberg