sedimentation

noun

sed·​i·​men·​ta·​tion ˌse-də-mən-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce sedimentation (audio)
-ˌmen-
: the action or process of forming or depositing sediment : settling

Examples of sedimentation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Other factors affecting corals and ocean health in Hawaii Hawaii is also experiencing other stressors, such as wastewater pollution, sedimentation from runoff from streams and overfishing, Starck said. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 21 July 2023 These aim to prevent further erosion, and gradually restore marshland and natural sedimentation. Millie Brigaud, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Aug. 2023 Geologic movement and sedimentation, common in caves, could have moved the bones and covered them with dirt. Byann Gibbons, science.org, 5 June 2023 Construction on the pipeline was supposed to be complete by 2018, but environmental groups have successfully challenged a series of federal permits in court, where judges have found the pipeline developers’ analyses about the effects on wildlife, sedimentation and erosion lacking. Hiroko Tabuchi, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2022 The engineering firm Westwood Professional Services Inc., which created the project’s erosion and sedimentation control plan, was cleared of liability. Drew Kann, ajc, 5 May 2023 For this process, sewage is first cleaned using traditional wastewater treatment, which includes screening, sedimentation, biological treatment, and disinfection. Vince C Reyes, Discover Magazine, 5 May 2015 But around 1785, ideas of the age of the Earth began to undergo a radical change as geologists and paleontologists started using the features of the Earth itself, such as erosion, sedimentation and the layers of strata and the fossils embedded in them, to estimate its age. Mano Singham, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2021 Perhaps the most common — and most insidious — way that playas have been degraded is through sedimentation. John Richard Saylor, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sedimentation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sedimentation was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near sedimentation

Cite this Entry

“Sedimentation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sedimentation. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

sedimentation

noun
sed·​i·​men·​ta·​tion ˌsed-ə-mən-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce sedimentation (audio)
-ˌmen-
: the action or process of depositing sediment

Medical Definition

sedimentation

noun
sed·​i·​men·​ta·​tion ˌsed-ə-(ˌ)men-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce sedimentation (audio)
1
: the action or process of depositing sediment
2
: the depositing especially by mechanical means of matter suspended in a liquid

More from Merriam-Webster on sedimentation

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