loess

noun
\ ˈles How to pronounce loess (audio) , ˈləs, ˈlō-əs, ˈlərs How to pronounce loess (audio) \

Definition of loess

: an unstratified usually buff to yellowish brown loamy deposit found in North America, Europe, and Asia and believed to be chiefly deposited by the wind

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Other Words from loess

loessial \ ˈle-​sē-​əl How to pronounce loessial (audio) , ˈlə-​ , lō-​ˈe-​ , ˈlər-​ How to pronounce loessial (audio) \ adjective

Examples of loess in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Just 16 stone tools turned up, spread across six layers of loess, deposited in colder, drier, windier times when the plateau would have been a steppe grassland with less ample grazing and much colder winters. Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Hominins lived in China 2.1 million years ago," 11 July 2018 Just 16 stone tools turned up, spread across six layers of loess, deposited in colder, drier, windier times when the plateau would have been a steppe grassland with less ample grazing and much colder winters. Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Hominins lived in China 2.1 million years ago," 11 July 2018 Hard brown loess lightly sprinkled with stunted shrubs and bleak weeds stretches for miles. Michael Kanellos, WIRED, "Can Tech Make the Desert Bloom Again?," 21 Apr. 2011 Across the row was yet another pit, with no limestone, just loamy loess. Eric Asimov, New York Times, "To Move Beyond Malbec, Look Below the Surface," 11 Feb. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'loess.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of loess

1833, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for loess

German Löss

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