waterworn

American  

[waw-ter-wawrn, -wohrn, wot-er-] / ˈwɔ tərˌwɔrn, -ˌwoʊrn, ˈwɒt ər- /

adjective

1. worn by the action of water; smoothed by the force or movement of water.

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waterworn British  

/ ˈwɔːtəˌwɔːn /

adjective

1. worn smooth by the action or passage of water

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Etymology

Origin of waterworn

First recorded in 1805–15; water + worn

Example Sentences

Viewing the strata exposed by the river in the Grand Canyon, the wind-weathered landscape of Bryce Canyon or the waterworn stalactites of Carlsbad Caverns is like looking backward through time.

From Time Magazine Archive

I ease myself along, intrigued by the smooth, waterworn walls.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

As he walked across the waterworn shelf at the foot of the sheer cliff, his eye was caught by a wide seam of quartz in the side wall of the gulch.

From Out of the Depths A Romance of Reclamation by Brehm, George

Yet, strange to say, the gold was invariably waterworn in appearance.

From Getting Gold: a practical treatise for prospectors, miners and students by Johnson, J. C. F. (Joseph Colin Frances)

Islands, like Graham's Island, may have sometimes raised their craters for various periods above the water, and by the waste of such islands some of the ashy matter became waterworn, whence the ashy conglomerate.

From The Student's Elements of Geology by Lyell, Charles, Sir