surficial

[ser-fish-uhl]

adjective

1. of or relating to a surface, especially the land surface.

   a surficial geologic deposit.

Other Word Forms

• surficially adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of surficial¹

1890–95; blend of surface and superficial

Example Sentences

“Based on the topography and characteristics of the bedrock and surficial material, any shallow groundwater encountered at the barn site is expected to be temporarily perched groundwater,” Jeremiah Jackson, a state geologist, wrote.

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Even if astronauts can avoid radiation exposure and muscle degeneration, the moon’s surficial soil—called regolith—itself poses another tricky problem.

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But we fear that the bipartisan reverence for our founding is actually pretty surficial these days.

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And each cycle they deliver the kind of surficial change that temporarily gratifies the bloody-minded partisanship of one side but leaves most people with a deeper-still feeling of unease.

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And yet, “superficial” is far more common than “surficial.”

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