Adjacent Words

Loam definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LOAM, n. [L. limus.]
A natural mixture of sand and clay with oxyd of iron; a species of earth or soil of different colors, whitish, brown or yellow, readily diffusible in water.
LOAM, v.t. To cover with loam.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand and clay and decaying organic materials

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English lom, from Old English l?m clay, mud; akin to Old English l?m lime Date: 12th century 1. a. a mixture (as for plastering) composed chiefly of moistened clay b. a coarse molding sand used in founding 2. soil; specifically a soil consisting of a friable mixture of varying proportions of clay, silt, and sand • loamy adjective

Britannica Concise

Rich, friable (crumbly) soil with nearly equal parts of sand and silt, and somewhat less clay. The term is sometimes used imprecisely to mean earth or soil in general. Loam in subsoil receives varied minerals and amounts of clay by leaching (percolation) from the topsoil above.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a fertile soil of clay and sand containing decayed vegetable matter. 2 a paste of clay and water with sand, chopped straw, etc., used in making bricks, plastering, etc. Derivatives: loamy adj. loaminess n. Etymology: OE lam f. WG, rel. to LIME(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Loam Loam, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Loamed; p. pr. & vb. n. Loaming.] To cover, smear, or fill with loam.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Loam Loam, n. [AS. l[=a]m; akin to D. leem, G. lehm, and E. lime. See 4th Lime.] 1. A kind of soil; an earthy mixture of clay and sand, with organic matter to which its fertility is chiefly due. We wash a wall of loam; we labor in vain. --Hooker. 2. (Founding) A mixture of sand, clay, and other materials, used in making molds for large castings, often without a pattern. Loam mold (Founding), a mold made with loam. See Loam, n., 2. Loam molding, the process or business of making loam molds. Loam plate, an iron plate upon which a section of a loam mold rests, or from which it is suspended. Loam work, loam molding or loam molds.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Loam is soil that is good for growing crops and plants in because it contains a lot of decayed vegetable matter and does not contain too much sand or clay.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Mould, soil.