adobe

noun

ado·​be ə-ˈdō-bē 

1

: a brick or building material of sun-dried earth and straw

2

: a structure made of adobe bricks

3

: a heavy clay used in making adobe bricks

broadly : alluvial or playa clay in desert or arid regions

adobelike

ə-ˈdō-bē-ˌlīk 

adjective

Illustration of adobe

• adobe 2

Did you know?

Handmade sun-dried bricks, adobes are formed from a mixture of heavy clay and straw found in dry regions. As a building material, adobes date back thousands of years and are found in many parts of the world. Molds for shaping the bricks were brought to the New World by the Spanish. Excellent insulating properties make adobes ideal material for both dwellings and ovens; home interiors retain heat in winter and stay cool in summer. The adobe buildings at Taos, New Mexico, are typical of Native American pueblo dwellings.

Examples of adobe in a Sentence

The house was built of adobe.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ojo Sarco, New Mexico This two-bedroom adobe home sits on 5.56 acres abutting Carson National Forest. —The Week Staff, theweek, 26 Nov. 2024

Their Malva restaurant elevates the dining experience with a sophisticated approach to regional cuisine, using their adobe oven and oak firewood to create dishes that speak of place and passion. —Shelby Knick, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024

The museum, which is celebrating its 100th birthday, has gone especially big on the biennial with the exhibition’s first expansion into the 19th-century Edward Nye Fish House, one of a few surrounding adobes. —Abbie Kozolchyk, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2024

Even the city’s traditional adobe homes, it could be argued, are essentially inhabitable pottery. —Lia Picard, Travel + Leisure, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish, borrowed from Arabic aṭ-ṭūb, from al "the" + ṭūb "brick (material), bricks," borrowed from Coptic (Sahidic dialect) tôôbe, (Bohairic dialect) tôbi "brick," going back to Old Egyptian db.t

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

adobe

noun

ado·​be ə-ˈdō-bē 

1

: a brick or building material made of a sun-dried mixture of earth and straw

2

: a building made of adobe bricks

Etymology

Spanish