loam

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A type of soil; an earthy mixture of sand, silt and clay, with organic matter to which its fertility is chiefly due.
  2. A mixture of sand, clay, and other materials, used in making moulds for large castings, often without a pattern.
verb
  1. To cover, smear, or fill with loam.
adj
  1. Made of loam; consisting of loam.

Pronunciation

/ləʊm/ /luːm/ /loʊm/ /lum/ /lʊm/ en-us-loam.ogg

Word forms

loam loams loaming loamed

Etymology

From Middle English lome, lame, lam, from Old English lām (“clay, mud, mire, earth”), from Proto-West Germanic *laim, from Proto-Germanic *laimaz, *laimô (“clay”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyH- (“to smear”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Leem (“loam”), West Frisian liem (“loam”), Dutch leem (“loam”), German Lehm (“loam”). Related also to lime.

Derived words

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