adobe

noun ado·be \ ə-ˈdō-bē \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of adobe

1 : a brick or building material of sun-dried earth and straw

2 : a structure made of adobe bricks

3 : a heavy clay used in making adobe bricks; broadly : alluvial or playa clay in desert or arid regions

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adobelike

play \-ˌlīk\ adjective

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Examples of adobe in a Sentence

The house was built of adobe.

Recent Examples of adobe from the Web

These historic places in and around Santa Fe range from simple adobe homes to ornate cathedrals to Pueblo villages that have existed for thousands of years.

— USA TODAY, "Nine must-see historic sites in Santa Fe," 13 Mar. 2018
The adobe chapel is believed to have been built originally as a winery for Mission San Luis Rey.

— linda mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tours still given at Pendleton landmark," 15 Feb. 2018
All over the world, our prehistoric ancestors made homes from mud, adobe, cob and similar materials, building up their walls one layer after another.

— christopher mims, WSJ, "3-D Printed Buildings Are a Tech Twist on Ancient Construction Techniques," 1 Apr. 2018
Order the spectacular breakfast sandwich with a baked egg, provolone cheese, refried lentils, and green chili adobe, or the luxurious lox with dill cream cheese and pickled zucchini on rye toast.

— ina pinkney, chicagotribune.com, "Three local spots offer a bevy of breakfast options," 19 Mar. 2018
The Romanesque revival cathedral was built around the former adobe church.

— USA TODAY, "Nine must-see historic sites in Santa Fe," 13 Mar. 2018
In 1955, Haskell bought a parcel at the corner of Coast Highway and Dahlia Avenue from Norman's Nursery and moved his business offices from Los Angeles to Corona del Mar. The lot had a small, 1930s adobe house, which Haskell used as an office.

— kathleen luppi, latimes.com, "Hidden treasures in Sherman Library & Gardens will be displayed at open house," 15 Mar. 2018
Others were relocated from elsewhere, such as an adobe house that George had built near Lincoln Road in the 1940s.

— andrea galyean, azcentral, "Decades of Arizona artists have called Scottsdale Cattle Track Arts Compound home," 15 Mar. 2018
Built around 1610 by Spanish colonists, this one-story adobe structure was the seat of government over hundreds of years.

— USA TODAY, "Nine must-see historic sites in Santa Fe," 13 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adobe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

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.

Illustration of adobe

Origin and Etymology of adobe

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1748

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year