sediment
[ noun sed-uh-muh nt; verb sed-uh-ment ]
/ noun ˈsɛd ə mənt; verb ˈsɛd əˌmɛnt /
noun
the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid; lees; dregs.
Geology.
mineral or organic matter deposited by water, air, or ice.
verb (used with object)
to deposit as sediment.
verb (used without object)
to form or deposit sediment.
Origin of sediment
OTHER WORDS FROM sediment
sed·i·men·tous, adjective self-sed·i·ment·ed, adjectiveWords nearby sediment
Example sentences from the Web for sediment
British Dictionary definitions for sediment
sediment
/ (ˈsɛdɪmənt) /
noun
matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
material that has been deposited from water, ice, or wind
Derived forms of sediment
sedimentous (ˌsɛdɪˈmɛntəs), adjectiveWord Origin for sediment
C16: from Latin
sedimentum a settling, from
sedēre to sit
Medical definitions for sediment
sediment
[ sĕd′ə-mənt ]
n.
Insoluble material that sinks to the bottom of a liquid, as in hypostasis.
Scientific definitions for sediment
sediment
[ sĕd′ə-mənt ]
Geology
Solid fragmented material, such as silt, sand, gravel, chemical precipitates, and fossil fragments, that is transported and deposited by water, ice, or wind or that accumulates through chemical precipitation or secretion by organisms, and that forms layers on the Earth's surface. Sedimentary rocks consist of consolidated sediment.
Chemistry
Particles of solid matter that settle out of a suspension to the bottom of the liquid.