sediment

[sed-uh-muhnt, sed-uh-ment]

noun

1. the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid; lees; dregs.

2. Geology.,  mineral or organic matter deposited by water, air, or ice.

verb (used with object)

1. to deposit as sediment.

verb (used without object)

1. to form or deposit sediment.

sediment

/ ˌsɛdɪˈmɛntəs, ˈsɛdɪmənt /

noun

1. matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid

2. material that has been deposited from water, ice, or wind

sediment

1. 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.

2. Particles of solid matter that settle out of a suspension to the bottom of the liquid.

Other Word Forms

• sedimentous adjective
• self-sedimented adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sediment¹

1540–50; < Latin sedimentum, equivalent to sedi- (combining form of sedēre to sit ¹, settle) + -mentum -ment

Word History and Origins

Origin of sediment¹

C16: from Latin sedimentum a settling, from sedēre to sit

Example Sentences

Legal action has been launched to stop dredged sediment from being dumped in a protected marine area in East Sussex.

From BBC

It established lasting protection for specified wilderness areas within national forests by prohibiting road construction and logging which can destroy or disrupt habitats, increase erosion and worsen sediment pollution in drinking water, among other outcomes.

From Los Angeles Times

They collected more than 40 long cores, or tubes, of seafloor sediment from locations around the peninsula.

From BBC

The tsunami waves also deposited a large amount of sediment and debris throughout the harbor basin.

From Los Angeles Times

At that time, it was a humid swamp, where river sediments trapped and fossilised the bones of dead animals, resulting in the preserved remains found there today.

From BBC

Related Words

• debris 
• powder 
• silt 
• trash 
• waste