alluvium

noun

al·​lu·​vi·​um ə-ˈlü-vē-əm 

plural alluviums or alluvia ə-ˈlü-vē-ə 

: clay, silt, sand, gravel, or similar detrital material deposited by running water

Examples of alluvium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scott traces their advent to a few hundred years later, in a constellation of cities that sprang up on the Mesopotamian alluvium around what was then the northern end of the Persian Gulf. —Tim Flannery, The New York Review of Books, 12 Mar. 2020

These waters carried debris called alluvium, that makes up the Delta's fertile soil. —Richard Mason, Arkansas Online, 23 May 2021

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, alteration of Latin alluvio

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

alluvium

noun

al·​lu·​vi·​um ə-ˈlü-vē-əm 

plural alluviums or alluvia

-vē-ə

: soil material (as clay, silt, sand, or gravel) deposited by running water