illuviation

[ ih-loo-vee-ey-shuh n ]

/ ɪˌlu viˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

the accumulation in one layer of soil of materials that have been leached out of another layer.

Nearby words

illustrative, illustrator, illustrious, illuvial, illuviate, illuviation, illuvium, illy, illyria, illyrian, illyricum

Origin of illuviation

First recorded in 1925–30; illuvi(al) + -ation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for illuviation

illuviation

/ (ɪˌluːvɪˈeɪʃən) /

noun

the process by which a material (illuvium), which includes colloids and mineral salts, is washed down from one layer of soil to a lower layer

Derived Forms

illuvial, adjective

Word Origin for illuviation

C20: from Latin illuviēs dirt, mud, from il- + -luviēs, from lavere to wash

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

Science definitions for illuviation

illuviation

[ ĭ-lōō′vē-ā′shən ]

The deposition of colloids, soluble salts, and suspended mineral particles in a lower soil horizon through the process of eluviation (downward movement) from an upper soil horizon.