marl
1 Americannoun
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Geology. a friable earthy deposit consisting of clay and calcium carbonate, used especially as a fertilizer for soils deficient in lime.
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Archaic. earth.
verb (used with object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of marl1
1325–75; Middle English marle < Middle Dutch < Old French < Medieval Latin margila, diminutive of Latin marga, said to be < Gaulish
Origin of marl2
1400–50; late Middle English marlyn to ensnare; akin to Old English mārels cable. See moor 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.
South Jersey achieved paleontological renown with the 1858 discovery of a nearly complete skeleton of the duck-billed dinosaur Hadrosaurus foulkii in a Haddonfield marl pit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2025
It expresses the terroir of the Kimmeridgian marl since the vintage was stingy with sunshine and fruit.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2023
The marl cliffs, which attract thousands of tourists every year, were defaced sometime overnight on Friday.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2022
The coat is available in only one color – grey marl.
From Fox News ● Nov. 26, 2021
“Bastard East Kents” are produced on alluvial soil and soils formed by admixtures of loam, clay-loams, chalk, marl and clay from the Gault, Greensand and Chalk formations.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 6 "Home, Daniel" to "Hortensius, Quintus" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
