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earthen

adjective
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earth·​en | \ ˈər-thən How to pronounce earthen (audio) , -t͟hən How to pronounce earthen (audio) \

Definition of earthen

1 : made of earth
2 : earthly

Examples of earthen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web An earthen wall of the Kaloko Reservoir collapsed during heavy rains and sent a wave of water rushing down a hillside. — Washington Post, "AP: Thousands face life-threatening floods from aging dams," 11 Nov. 2019 An earthen wall of the Kaloko Reservoir collapsed during heavy rains and sent a wave of water rushing down a hillside. — Michelle Minkoff, The Denver Post, "Thousands face risk because of aging U.S. dams, including some in Colorado, AP finds," 10 Nov. 2019 An earthen wall of the Kaloko Reservoir collapsed during heavy rains and sent a wave of water rushing down a hillside. — BostonGlobe.com, "‘‘He had about a 5-minute notice, with no prior warning the day before,’’ Scott Angel, one of Kenny’s brothers, said.," 10 Nov. 2019 The trader, Hitesh Kumar, was alerted by the cries of the girl as the workers digging a grave for his daughter smashed the earthen pot. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Newborn baby girl found buried alive in India," 15 Oct. 2019 The earthen dam was built in the 1970s near the San Bernardino Mountains. — USA TODAY, "Lighthouse in peril, Wizard Rock, cable a la carte: News from around our 50 states," 4 Nov. 2019 But over the years, Pedro Bay villagers grew suspicious of the project, which would rely on giant earthen dams to keep hazardous mine tailings from seeping or surging into rivers flowing into the lake. — Los Angeles Times, "‘This is our land’: How a tiny Alaskan village stymied Pebble Mine," 23 Oct. 2019 The most efficient way to get tar from birch bark is to heat the roll of bark in a clay vessel buried inside an earthen mound. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Neanderthal glue was a bigger deal than we thought," 22 Oct. 2019 These Native American peoples left behind earthen mounds that can be explored in the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. — Andrea Reeves, Cincinnati.com, "Here are some Ohio words you might be saying wrong," 16 June 2019

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

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First Known Use of earthen

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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The first known use of earthen was in the 13th century

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Last Updated

29 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Earthen.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earthen. Accessed 12 December 2019.

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More Definitions for earthen

earthen

adjective
How to pronounce earthen (audio) How to pronounce earthen (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of earthen

: made of earth or of baked clay

See the full definition for earthen in the English Language Learners Dictionary

earthen

adjective
earth·​en | \ ˈər-thən How to pronounce earthen (audio) \

Kids Definition of earthen

: made of earth or of baked clay an earthen dam an earthen jar

More from Merriam-Webster on earthen

Spanish Central: Translation of earthen

Nglish: Translation of earthen for Spanish Speakers

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