loam

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) A type of soil; an earthy mixture of sand, silt and clay, with organic matter to which its fertility is chiefly due.
2. (countable, uncountable) A mixture of sand, clay, and other materials, used in making moulds for large castings, often without a pattern.

Verb

To cover, smear, or fill with loam.

Adj

Made of loam; consisting of loam.

Synonyms

clay

mud

soil

earth

clayey soil

dirt

mire

mold

moldy

musty

puddle

sandy soil

sect

silt

slime

slush

topsoil

religion

regur soil

loam soil

bog

sandy clay

bole

chalk

ground

humus

loamy soil

marl

Translations

Lehm

leem

barro

terreau

argilla

argile

glaise

Schlamm

marga

πηλός

pisé

fango

terriccio

loam

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ləʊm/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: lome

Inherited from Old English: lām

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Leem

Cognate with Western Frisian: liem

Cognate with Dutch: leem

Cognate with German: Lehm

In summary

From Middle English lome, lame, lam, from Old English lām (“clay, mud, mire, earth”), from Proto-West Germanic *laim, from Proto-Germanic *laimaz, *laimô (“clay”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyH- (“to smear”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Leem (“loam”), West Frisian liem (“loam”), Dutch leem (“loam”), German Lehm (“loam”). Related also to lime.