laterite

[ lat-uh-rahyt ]

/ ˈlæt əˌraɪt /

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noun Geology.

a reddish ferruginous soil formed in tropical regions by the decomposition of the underlying rocks.

a similar soil formed of materials deposited by water.

any soil produced by the decomposition of the rocks beneath it.

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Origin of laterite

1800–10; <Latin later brick, tile + -ite¹

OTHER WORDS FROM laterite

lat·er·it·ic

[lat-uh-rit-ik], /ˌlæt əˈrɪt ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby laterite

Lateran Council, Lateran Palace, Later Han, late rickets, laterigrade, laterite, lateritious, laterization, latero-, laterodeviation, lateroduction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use laterite in a sentence

Laterite may be roughly divided into two kinds, high-level and low-level laterites.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 4|Various
The clay called cabook in Ceylon is essentially a variety of laterite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 2|Various
These chemical changes may be the cause of the frequent concretionary structure and veining in the laterite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 2|Various
Attempts are being made to utilize laterite as an ore of aluminium, a purpose for which some varieties seem well adapted.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 2|Various

These are believed to resemble laterite, a red and highly oxidized soil which is found in great abundance in equatorial regions.
Climatic Changes|Ellsworth Huntington

British Dictionary definitions for laterite

laterite

/ (ˈlætəˌraɪt) /

noun

any of a group of deposits consisting of residual insoluble deposits of ferric and aluminium oxides: formed by weathering of rocks in tropical regions

Derived forms of laterite

lateritic (ˌlætəˈrɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for laterite

C19: from Latin later brick, tile

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

Scientific definitions for laterite

laterite

[ lăt′ə-rīt′ ]

A red, porous, claylike soil formed by the leaching of silica-rich components and enrichment of aluminum and iron hydroxides. They are especially common in humid climates. Laterites that are poor in iron oxides and rich in aluminum oxides are called bauxites. Also called latosol See more at bauxite.