Alluvium
[ə-LOO-vee-əm]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 17th century
1.
A deposit of clay, silt, sand, and gravel left by flowing streams in a river valley or delta, typically producing fertile soil.
Examples of Alluvium in a sentence
"Thanks to a layer of alluvium covering the ground, the valley was easy to walk through."
"Soil full of alluvium makes a fantastic garden."
About Alluvium
“Alluvium” is based on the Latin “alluvius,” meaning “washed against.”
Did you Know?
Alluvial deposits are sediments that are moved around and left behind by rivers. Often, “alluvium” refers to existing deposits of silt, sand, clay, and gravel left long ago by water that no longer exists where it once did. But the sediments can also appear with seasonal shifting river currents, and be filled with nutrients. The nutrient-rich soil will be distributed to areas downstream by the river current.
