loess

loess

noun \ˈles, ˈləs, ˈlō-əs, ˈlərs\

Definition of LOESS

: an unstratified usually buff to yellowish brown loamy deposit found in North America, Europe, and Asia and believed to be chiefly deposited by the wind

— loess·ial \ˈle-sē-əl, ˈlə-, lō-ˈe-, ˈlər-\ adjective

Origin of LOESS

German Löss

First Known Use: 1833

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

Rhymes with LOESS

bless, cess, chess, cress, dress, ess, fess, guess, jess, less, mess, ness, press, s, stress, tress, yes

loess

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Unstratified, geologically recent deposit of silty or loamy material that is usually buff or yellowish brown and is deposited chiefly by the wind. Loess is a sedimentary deposit composed largely of silt-sized grains that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate. It is usually homogeneous and highly porous and is traversed by vertical capillaries that permit the sediment to fracture and form vertical bluffs.