Handmade sun-dried bricks, adobes are formed from a mixture of heavy clay and straw found in dry regions. As a building material, adobes date back thousands of years and are found in many parts of the world. Molds for shaping the bricks were brought to the New World by the Spanish. Excellent insulating properties make adobes ideal material for both dwellings and ovens; home interiors retain heat in winter and stay cool in summer. The adobe buildings at Taos, New Mexico, are typical of Native American pueblo dwellings.
Examples of adobe in a Sentence
The house was built of adobe.
Recent Examples on the WebFor stunning views, pick the Casa Buena Vista house, a historical adobe structure that was originally built for the Chisos Mine foreman.—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024 Each room features traditional adobe architecture of the American Southwest, including pine beam viga ceilings, kiva-style gas fireplace, antique Navajo rugs, local pueblo pottery, colorful handwoven textiles, and organic toiletries.—Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Guests can sleep and wake to desert views in the property's adobe homes.—Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024 Tapestries and paintings of monsters and nude women hung on the adobe brick walls.—Jessica Testa, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for adobe
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adobe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Spanish, borrowed from Arabic aṭ-ṭūb, from al "the" + ṭūb "brick (material), bricks," borrowed from Coptic (Sahidic dialect) tôôbe, (Bohairic dialect) tôbi "brick," going back to Old Egyptian db.t
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