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placer
1[ plas-er ]
/ ˈplæs ər /
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noun Mining.
a surficial mineral deposit formed by the concentration of small particles of heavy minerals, as gold, rutile, or platinum, in gravel or small sands.
the site of a form of mining (placer mining ) in which a placer deposit is washed to separate the gold or other valuable minerals.
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Origin of placer
1An Americanism first recorded in 1835–45; from Latin American Spanish; Spanish: “sandbank,” from Catalan placel, derivative of plaza “open place”; see plaza
Words nearby placer
Other definitions for placer (2 of 2)
placer2
[ pley-ser ]
/ ˈpleɪ sər /
noun
a person who sets things in their place or arranges them.
a person or animal that is among the winners of a race or other contest.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use placer in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for placer
placer
/ (ˈplæsə) /
noun
- surface sediment containing particles of gold or some other valuable mineral
- (in combination)placer-mining
Word Origin for placer
C19: from American Spanish: deposit, from Spanish plaza place
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 placer
placer
[ plăs′ər ]
A surface deposit of minerals, such as gold or magnetite, laid down by a river. The minerals are usually concentrated in one area because they are relatively heavy and therefore settle out of the river's currents more quickly than lighter sediments such as silt and sand.♦ The extraction of minerals from placers, as by panning, washing, or dredging, is called placer mining.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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