loam

loam
—loaminess, n. —loamless, adj. —loamy, adj.
/lohm/, n.
1. a rich, friable soil containing a relatively equal mixture of sand and silt and a somewhat smaller proportion of clay.
2. a mixture of clay, sand, straw, etc., used in making molds for founding and in plastering walls, stopping holes, etc.
3. earth or soil.
4. Obs. clay or clayey earth.
v.t.
5. to cover or stop with loam.
[bef. 900; late ME lome, earlier lam(e), OE lam; c. D leem, G Lehm loam, clay; akin to LIME1]

* * *

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.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Loam — is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration (about 40 40 20% concentration respectively), considered ideal for gardening and agricultural uses. Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils,… …   Wikipedia

  • Loam — (l[=o]m), 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. [1913 Webster] We wash a wall of loam; we labor in …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Loam — arenoso. El loam es una roca sedimentaria detrítica incoherente, de granos sueltos, con proporción equilibrada de partículas de arena, limo y arcilla. Por su textura, los suelos de loam son bastante impermeables y retienen fácilmente el agua, con …   Wikipedia Español

  • loam|y — «LOH mee», adjective, loam|i|er, loam|i|est. of or like loam. –loam´i|ness, noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • Loam — Loam, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Loamed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Loaming}.] To cover, smear, or fill with loam. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • loam — loam; loam·i·ness; loam·less; …   English syllables

  • loam — (n.) O.E. lam clay, mud, mire, earth, from P.Gmc. *laimaz (Cf. O.S. lemo, Du. leem, Ger. Lehm loam ), from PIE root * (s)lei slimy (see SLIME (Cf. slime) (n.)). As a type of highly fertile clayey soil, it is attested from 1660s. As a verb from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • loam — [lōm] n. [ME lome < OE lam: see LIME1] 1. a rich soil composed of clay, sand, and some organic matter 2. a mixture of moistened clay, sand, and some organic matter, as straw, used in plastering, making foundry molds, etc. 3. popularly any rich …   English World dictionary

  • Loam — Loam. См. Формовочная глина. (Источник: «Металлы и сплавы. Справочник.» Под редакцией Ю.П. Солнцева; НПО Профессионал , НПО Мир и семья ; Санкт Петербург, 2003 г.) …   Словарь металлургических терминов

  • Loam — (engl., spr. lōm, »Lehm«), s. Erden, S. 2 …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • loam — [ləum US loum] n [U] [: Old English; Origin: lam] good quality soil consisting of sand, clay, and decayed plants >loamy adj …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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