regolith
noun
reg·o·lith
ˈre-gə-ˌlith 
: unconsolidated residual or transported material that overlies the solid rock on the earth, moon, or a planet
Examples of regolith in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Solar heat becomes stored in regolith below the snow and ice during the summer, and snow around a large rock will vanish as late as the fall because so much heat is still retained by the rock.
—
Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 5 Oct. 2023
The next big hurdle was to select a sample site: a place where the spacecraft could safely fill its canister with fine grain regolith.
—Katrina Miller, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2023
The loose and meteorite-battered regolith that forms the Moon’s outer layer tends to muffle seismic waves from underneath.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Mar. 2024
That would entail flying a harvester to the moon, which would scoop up the regolith, then its processor would separate out the Helium-3.
—Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
Plants that can tolerate Mars’ surface regolith and perform photosynthesis at much higher efficiency than here on Earth will then be released, along with bacterial symbiotes (organisms living in symbiosis), across the planet.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024
Simulated regolith in hand, the trio mixed the frass with the simulated Martian soil in different proportions, to see how the peas liked it.
—Sarah Scoles, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2023
Are any of them still viable, buried under the moon’s regolith, the dust that varies in depth from a few metres to several dozen metres?
—Laurent Palka, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024
Moreover, the loose regolith is prone to landslides, especially along sloped surfaces.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024
Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 5 Oct. 2023
The next big hurdle was to select a sample site: a place where the spacecraft could safely fill its canister with fine grain regolith.
—Katrina Miller, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2023
The loose and meteorite-battered regolith that forms the Moon’s outer layer tends to muffle seismic waves from underneath.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Mar. 2024
That would entail flying a harvester to the moon, which would scoop up the regolith, then its processor would separate out the Helium-3.
—Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
Plants that can tolerate Mars’ surface regolith and perform photosynthesis at much higher efficiency than here on Earth will then be released, along with bacterial symbiotes (organisms living in symbiosis), across the planet.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024
Simulated regolith in hand, the trio mixed the frass with the simulated Martian soil in different proportions, to see how the peas liked it.
—Sarah Scoles, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2023
Are any of them still viable, buried under the moon’s regolith, the dust that varies in depth from a few metres to several dozen metres?
—Laurent Palka, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024
Moreover, the loose regolith is prone to landslides, especially along sloped surfaces.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'regolith.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to regolith
Dictionary Entries Near regolith
Cite this Entry
“Regolith.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regolith. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share