loess

American  

[loh-es, les, luhs] / ˈloʊ ɛs, lɛs, lʌs /

noun

1. a loamy deposit formed by wind, usually yellowish and calcareous, common in the Mississippi Valley and in Europe and Asia.

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loess British  

/ ˈləʊɪs, lœs, ləʊˈɛsɪəl /

noun

1. a light-coloured fine-grained accumulation of clay and silt particles that have been deposited by the wind

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loess Scientific  

/ lō′əs,lĕs,lŭs /

1. A very fine grained silt or clay, thought to have formed as the result of grinding by glaciers and to have been deposited by the wind. Most loess is believed to have originated during the Pleistocene Epoch from areas of land covered by glaciers and from desert surfaces.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• loessial
  adjective
• loessal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of loess

1825–35; < German Löss < Swiss German lösch loose, slack ( sch taken as a dial. equivalent of German s ), akin to German lose loose

Explanation

Loess is a kind of fine dirt or dust that's made up of silt, sand, and clay. The wind blows loess around until it settles and, over time, accumulates in one area. Where loess settles, the resulting soil tends to become very fertile, and to be distinctive for its yellowish-brown color. There are places rich in loess throughout the United States, as well as parts of China, Europe, and Argentina. There's even an area in Iowa called the "Loess Hills." The word loess is pronounced several ways, including "luss," and like the name Lois. It comes from the German Löss, "yellowish-gray soil."

Example Sentences

It has reduced sediment loads through soil conservation projects on the Loess Plateau.

From Science Magazine • May 13, 2021

Silt from these glaciers has piled up in mounds large enough to become their own landforms, here called the Loess Hills.

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2019

On Iowa’s west coast, the muddy Missouri raged through the Loess hills and valleys and took entire towns with it – Pacific Junction, population 470, and Hamburg, population 1,187.

From The Guardian • May 30, 2019

The discovery shows that early forms of human were able to survive on the Loess Plateau in northern China under a variety of climatic conditions.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2018

A. p. piscivorus has been reported from Tishomingo County to the Gulf and east of the Loess Bluff area in central Mississippi, and A. p. leucostoma has been reported from this area westward.

From Natural History of Cottonmouth Moccasin, Agkistrodon piscovorus (Reptilia) by Burkett, Ray D.

Related Words

• dirt
• earth
• grime
• lint
• powder
• sand
• soil
• soot