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View synonyms for

sediment

[ noun sed-uh-muhnt; verb sed-uh-ment ]

noun

  1. the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid; lees; dregs.
  2. Geology. mineral or organic matter deposited by water, air, or ice.


verb (used with object)

  1. to deposit as sediment.

verb (used without object)

  1. to form or deposit sediment.

sediment

/ ˌsɛdɪˈmɛntəs; ˈsɛdɪmənt /

noun

  1. matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
  2. material that has been deposited from water, ice, or wind
“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

sediment

  1. 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.
  2. Particles of solid matter that settle out of a suspension to the bottom of the liquid.
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Derived Forms

  • sedimentous, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • i·tdzܲ adjective
  • -i·Գe adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sediment1

1540–50; < Latin sedimentum, equivalent to sedi- (combining form of ŧ to sit 1, settle) + -mentum -ment
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sediment1

C16: from Latin sedimentum a settling, from ŧ to sit
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

This is a bit like doing an MRI scan of the sediment layers beneath the present-day seafloor, going back millions of years.

From

Although the sediment itself is not chemically hazardous, beachgoers are still warned to beware of any physical debris that may lurk on the sand and in the water.

From

Unfortunately the damage cannot be seen on the scan as the lower section of the bow is hidden beneath the sediment.

From

US Navy divers were brought in to hook cables onto the sunken vehicle, and had to manoeuvre "through thick layers of mud, clay, and sediment with zero visibility", the statement said.

From

This happens when the soil has a high water content, and the shaking causes the sediment to lose its strength and behave like a liquid.

From

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sediliasedimentary