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leachate

American  
[lee-cheyt] / ˈli tʃeɪt /

noun

  1. a solution resulting from leaching, as of soluble constituents from soil, landfill, etc., by downward percolating groundwater.

    Leachates in the town's water supply have been traced to a chemical-waste dump.


leachate British  
/ ˈliːtʃeɪt /

noun

  1. water that carries salts dissolved out of materials through which it has percolated, esp polluted water from a refuse tip

"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 leachate

First recorded in 1930–35; leach 1 + -ate 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.

These are intended to simulate how solid waste could release chemicals inside the landfill as it’s exposed to leachate — liquid waste from rainfall or decomposing garbage.

From Los Angeles Times

They stressed that hazardous soil would be sent to landfills with liners and leachate collection systems — equipment that gathers and pumps out liquid waste that trickles to the bottom of the dump.

From Los Angeles Times

“We keep hearing about liners and leachate, but we’re not hearing about wind,” said Erick Fefferman.

From Los Angeles Times

The new study is unusual in that it calculated the mass of microplastics in landfill leachate and wastewater influent and effluent.

From Science Daily

While plastics degrade more slowly in landfills due to the compression of waste and the lack of solar radiation once they're buried, the plastics will continue to break down into smaller particles, which will eventually flow out with the leachate, Scott said.

From Science Daily