vadose

American

[vey-dohs] / ˈveɪ doʊs /

adjective

Geology.

found or located above the water table.

vadose water; vadose zone.

vadose British

/ ˈveɪdəʊs /

adjective

of, relating to, designating, or derived from water occurring above the water table

vadose water
vadose deposits

"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

Etymology

Origin of vadose

1895–1900; < Latin vadōsus shallow, equivalent to vad ( um ) a shoal, ford + -ōsus -ose ¹

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.

Below the vadose zone is the capillary fringe.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

In the vadose zone, fluid pressure in the pores is less than atmospheric pressure.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

The space between the water table and the earth's surface is sometimes referred to as the vadose zone or the zone of weathering, since it is the belt in which weathering processes are most active.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023