leaching
Use Leaching in a sentence verb (used with object)
1.
to dissolve out soluble constituents from (ashes, soil, etc.) by percolation.
2.
to cause (water or other liquid) to percolate through something.
verb (used without object)
3.
(of ashes, soil, etc.) to undergo the action of percolating water.
4.
to percolate, as water.
noun
5.
the act or process of leaching.
6.
a product or solution obtained by leaching; leachate.
7.
the material leached.
8.
a vessel for use in leaching.
Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English leche leachate, infusion, probably Old English *læc(e), *lec(e), akin to leccan to wet, moisten, causative of leak
1425–75; late Middle English leche leachate, infusion, probably Old English *læc(e), *lec(e), akin to leccan to wet, moisten, causative of leak
Related forms
leach·a·ble, adjective
leach·a·bil·i·ty, noun
leach·er, noun
un·leached, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Leaching
00:10
Leaching
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
leach1 (liːtʃ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to remove or be removed from a substance by a percolating liquid |
| 2. | to lose or cause to lose soluble substances by the action of a percolating liquid |
| 3. | percolate another word for percolate |
| —n | |
| 4. | the act or process of leaching |
| 5. | a substance that is leached or the constituents removed by leaching |
| 6. | a porous vessel for leaching |
| [C17: variant of obsolete letch to wet, perhaps from Old English leccan to water; related to | |
| 'leacher1 | |
| —n | |
| leach2 (liːtʃ) | |
| —n | |
| a variant spelling of leech | |
| Leach (liːtʃ) | |
| —n | |
| Bernard (Howell). 1887--1979, British potter, born in Hong Kong | |
| leech or leach2 (liːtʃ) | |
| —n | |
| nautical the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail or either of the vertical edges of a squaresail | |
| [C15: of Germanic origin; compare Dutch lijk] | |
| leach or leach2 | |
| —n | |
| [C15: of Germanic origin; compare Dutch lijk] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
leach
O.E. leccan "to moisten" (see leak). The word disappears, then re-emerges late 18c. in a technological sense in ref. to percolating liquids.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
leaching  (lē'chĭng) Pronunciation Key
The removal of soluble material from a substance, such as soil or rock, through the percolation of water. Organic matter is typically removed from a soil horizon and soluble metals or salts from a rock by leaching. Leaching differs from eluviation in that it affects soluble, not suspended, material and often results in the complete removal of the material from the soil or rock. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
That's a lot of toxic chemicals and nasty metals that you really, really don't want leaching into the water supply.
These chemicals are used in many types of plastic food wrappings and may well be leaching into foods.
Fertilizers have a horrible habit of leaching into waterways.
The sunset is fading, its glow slowly leaching from ancient red bricks.
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