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loam
[ lohm ]
/ loʊm /
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noun
a rich, friable soil containing a relatively equal mixture of sand and silt and a somewhat smaller proportion of clay.
a mixture of clay, sand, straw, etc., used in making molds for founding and in plastering walls, stopping holes, etc.
earth or soil.
Obsolete. clay or clayey earth.
verb (used with object)
to cover or stop with loam.
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Origin of loam
First recorded before 900; from late Middle English lome, earlier lam(e), Old English lām; cognate with Dutch leem, German Lehm “loam, clay”; akin to lime2
OTHER WORDS FROM loam
loam·less, adjectiveloam·y, adjectiveWords nearby loam
loaf bread, loafer, loaf pan, loaf sugar, loaiasis, loam, loamy, loan, loanable, loanback, loanblend
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use loam in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for loam
loam
/ (ləʊm) /
noun
rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand, clay, and decaying organic material
a paste of clay and sand used for making moulds in a foundry, plastering walls, etc
verb
(tr) to cover, treat, or fill with loam
Derived forms of loam
loamy, adjectiveloaminess, nounWord Origin for loam
Old English lām; related to Old Swedish lēmo clay, Old High German leimo
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 loam
loam
[ lōm ]
Soil composed of approximately equal quantities of sand, silt, and clay, often with variable amounts of decayed plant matter.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.