loam
[ lohm ]
/ loʊm /
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.
Nearby words
loaf bread, loaf pan, loaf sugar, loafer, loaiasis, loam, loan, loan collection, loan council, loan office, loan shark
Origin of loam
before 900; late Middle English lome, earlier lam(e), Old English lām; cognate with Dutch leem, German Lehm loam, clay; akin to lime1
Related forms
loam·i·ness, nounloam·less, adjectiveloam·y, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for loam
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
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
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Science 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.