alluvium

[uh-loo-vee-uhm] Origin

al·lu·vi·um

[uh-loo-vee-uhm]
noun, plural al·lu·vi·ums, al·lu·vi·a [-vee-uh] .
1.
a deposit of sand, mud, etc., formed by flowing water.
2.
the sedimentary matter deposited thus within recent times, especially in the valleys of large rivers.

Origin:
1655–65; < Latin, noun use of neuter of alluvius washed against, equivalent to alluv- (see alluvion) + -ius, -ium adj. suffix; see -ium
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Alluvium is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Collins
World English Dictionary
alluvium (əˈluːvɪəm)
 
n , pl -viums, -via
a fine-grained fertile soil consisting of mud, silt, and sand deposited by flowing water on flood plains, in river beds, and in estuaries
 
[C17: from Latin; see alluvion]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

alluvium
"matter deposited by flowing water," 1660s, from M.L. alluvium, neut. of alluvius "washed against," from L. alluere "wash against," from ad- "to, against" + -luere, comb. form of lavere "to wash" (see lave).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
alluvium   (ə-l'vē-əm)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural alluviums or alluvia
Sand, silt, clay, gravel, or other matter deposited by flowing water, as in a riverbed, floodplain, delta, or alluvial fan. Alluvium is generally considered a young deposit in terms of geologic time.

alluvial adjective
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

alluvium

material deposited by rivers. It is usually most extensively developed in the lower part of the course of a river, forming floodplains and deltas, but may be deposited at any point where the river overflows its banks or where the velocity of a river is checked-for example, where it runs into a lake

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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