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Showing results for regolith. Search instead for regoliths.

regolith

American  
[reg-uh-lith] / ˈrɛg ə lɪθ /

noun

  1. mantle rock.


regolith British  
/ ˈrɛɡəlɪθ /

noun

  1. the layer of loose material covering the bedrock of the earth and moon, etc, comprising soil, sand, rock fragments, volcanic ash, glacial drift, etc

"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

regolith Scientific  
/ rĕgə-lĭth′ /
  1. The layer of rock and mineral fragments that rests on bedrock and is produced by the weathering of rocks. Regolith constitutes the surface of most land.


Etymology

Origin of regolith

1895–1900; < Greek rhêgo ( s ) rug, blanket + -lith

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.

See Examples For:

The contrast suggests that solar wind particles penetrated much farther into the far side regolith.

From Science Daily Jul. 21, 2026

The Chang'e 6 regolith had an average 20Ne/22Ne ratio of 11.34 ± 0.22.

From Science Daily Jul. 21, 2026

Paul Burke, at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, says Apollo regolith samples might have lost some of their helium-3 on their return to Earth, skewing our understanding of how much is there.

From BBC Jun. 16, 2026

However, samples of moon dust, or regolith, from the Apollo missions suggest it may be present there at relatively high concentrations.

From BBC Jun. 16, 2026

“There is water in the regolith somewhere,” Mr. Kshatriya continues.

From The Wall Street Journal May 15, 2026

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