sediment
Americannoun
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the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid; lees; dregs.
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Geology. mineral or organic matter deposited by water, air, or ice.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
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material that has been deposited from water, ice, or wind
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Geology Solid fragmented material, such as silt, sand, gravel, chemical precipitates, and fossil fragments, that is transported and deposited by water, ice, or wind or that accumulates through chemical precipitation or secretion by organisms, and that forms layers on the Earth's surface. Sedimentary rocks consist of consolidated sediment.
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Particles of solid matter that settle out of a suspension to the bottom of the liquid.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sediment
1540–50; < Latin sedimentum, equivalent to sedi- (combining form of sedēre to sit 1, settle) + -mentum -ment
Explanation
Sediment is the accumulation of sand and dirt that settles in the bottom of lakes. Sediment is also what you get in the bottom of a glass of iced tea when the sugar doesn’t all dissolve. The noun sediment comes from the Latin word sedere, meaning “to settle,” or “sit.” Sediment is the little bits of solids that sink to the bottom of a container of liquid, whether that container is a body of water or a holding tank at a sewage treatment plant. Millions of years ago, lakes dried up and glaciers compressed their sediment. In this sedimentary rock, fossils are found, giving us clues about prehistoric life.
Vocabulary lists containing sediment
Physical Geography - Introductory
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Can You Dig It? Words for Dirt and Soil
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Physical Geography - Middle School
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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.
To investigate wildfire activity from this distant period, the researchers studied exceptionally well-preserved sediment from 4 drill cores.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Many buildings were built on loose, soft sediment that amplifies shaking during tremors, Linayo said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Environmentalists say the wall will accelerate erosion elsewhere while starving the neighboring salt marsh of sediment, hurting wildlife.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
"It was a smooth surface, and almost concave. That's not how sediment normally fills in, and I kept seeing it in multiple specimens. I was like, 'Okay, there's something weird here,'" he says.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
After five months the water recedes, leaving behind a layer of rich sediment.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
