sedimentary

sed·i·men·ta·ry | \ ˌse-də-ˈmen-tə-rē

How to pronounce sedimentary (audio)

, -ˈmen-trē \

Definition of sedimentary

1 : of, relating to, or containing sediment sedimentary deposits

2 : formed by or from deposits of sediment sedimentary rock

Examples of sedimentary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Wright adds to the sedimentary layers of description already settling on old places, rather than breaking fresh imaginative ground. — Dan Chiasson, The New Yorker, "The Many Voices of Charles Wright," 4 Nov. 2019 The new results come from the upper Murray formation, which has outcroppings on which mission scientists can actually see sedimentary layers. — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, "We Now Have a Good Idea When Martian Oceans Started Dying," 7 Oct. 2019 Faith indeed looms large over the Permian Basin, a sedimentary basin rich with black gold that gave rise to the Texas oil legend as well as the Bush family dynasty. — Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, "Odessa and neighboring Midland vow to heal in face of a day filled with 'the best and worst of humanity'," 1 Sep. 2019 Clearing land and removing the volcanic or sedimentary rocks just to plant the vineyard is harder. — Fortune, "Napa Mountain Wines Have Just as Much to Offer as Napa Valley Bottles," 8 Sep. 2019 Only the most serious climbers would consider ascending its east face, a sheer 3,000-foot wall of sedimentary rock marbled with an intricate network of snow and ice. — Nick Heil, Outside Online, "The Tragedy on Howse Peak," 28 Aug. 2019 In addition to numerous methane hydrate deposits, the Gulf Coast has large pools of hot, salty brine in sedimentary rock under the coastline. — Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, "Climate Solution: Use Carbon Dioxide to Generate Electricity," 17 July 2019 The paleosols may even preserve sedimentary DNA shed from ancient organisms. — Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, "Rising Seas Swallowed Countless Archaeological Sites. Scientists Want Them Back," 20 May 2019 Instead, researchers have tried to probe the past by looking at sedimentary proxies: iron, carbon or sulfur compounds in geological strata with properties that can be measured and put into models to infer ancient oxygen levels. — Quanta Magazine, "Rapid Oxygen Changes Fueled an Explosion in Ancient Animal Diversity," 9 May 2019

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

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Dictionary Entries near sedimentary

sedimentary rock

Statistics for sedimentary

Last Updated

17 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Sedimentary.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sedimentary. Accessed 7 December 2019.

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More Definitions for sedimentary

sedimentary

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of sedimentary

technical : made from material that sinks to the bottom of a liquid : made from sediment

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

sedimentary

sed·i·men·ta·ry | \ ˌse-də-ˈmen-tə-rē

\

Kids Definition of sedimentary

: relating to or formed from sediment Sandstone is a sedimentary rock.

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