sediment
/ˈsɛd.ɪ.mənt/ noun, verb
Forms sediments sedimenting sedimented
- noun A collection of small particles, particularly dirt, that precipitates from a river or other body of water. “The Nile delta is composed of sediment that was washed down and deposited at the mouth of the river.”
- verb (transitive) To deposit material as a sediment.
- verb (intransitive) To be deposited as a sediment.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle French sédiment, from Latin sedimentum < sedeō.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The matter which subsides to the bottom, frrom water or any other liquid; settlings; lees; dregs.
- noun The material of which sedimentary rocks are formed.
Etymology [F. sédiment, L. sedimentum a settling, fr. sedere to sit, to settle. See Sit.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sediment”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details