peneplain

or pe·ne·plane

[ pee-nuh-pleyn, pee-nuh-pleyn ]

nounGeology.
  1. an area reduced almost to a plain by erosion.

Origin of peneplain

1
First recorded in 1885–90; pene- + plain1

Other words from peneplain

  • pe·ne·pla·na·tion [pee-nuh-pluh-ney-shuhn], /ˌpi nə pləˈneɪ ʃən/, noun

Words Nearby peneplain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use peneplain in a sentence

  • The bottoms of the broad depressions represent the Shenandoah peneplain, which is sharply trenched by the modern river channels.

    North America | Israel C. Russell
  • This peneplain was later upraised into a plateau and its downward inclination towards the east increased.

    North America | Israel C. Russell
  • The suggestion has been offered that the northern portion of the Coast Range is a dissected peneplain.

    North America | Israel C. Russell
  • In other words, the western slope is a tilted peneplain, bearing on its surface remnants of older uplands.

    North America | Israel C. Russell
  • Immense regional intrusions, the cores of once lofty mountain ranges, are found upon the Laurentian peneplain.

    The Elements of Geology | William Harmon Norton

British Dictionary definitions for peneplain

peneplain

peneplane

/ (ˈpiːnɪˌpleɪn, ˌpiːnɪˈpleɪn) /


noun
  1. a relatively flat land surface produced by a long period of erosion

Origin of peneplain

1
C19: from pene- + plain 1

Derived forms of peneplain

  • peneplanation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012