sediment

1 of 2

noun

sed·​i·​ment ˈse-də-mənt 

1

: the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid

2

: material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers

sediment

2 of 2

verb

sed·​i·​ment ˈse-də-ˌment 

sedimented; sedimenting; sediments

transitive verb

: to deposit as sediment

intransitive verb

1

: to settle to the bottom in a liquid

2

: to deposit sediment

Synonyms

Noun

• deposit
• deposition
• dregs
• grounds
• precipitate
• settlings

Verb

• lay
• settle

Examples of sediment in a Sentence

Noun

There was a layer of sediment in the bottom of the tank.

the sediment at the bottom of the river needs to be routinely dredged so that it doesn't interfere with barge traffic

Verb

the water flowing into the reservoir is sedimenting silt faster than was originally expected

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In over 200 years, paleontologists haven’t found many tyrannosaur remains in the sediments that date back to the Cretaceous Period in this part of England. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 Dec. 2024

These marsh plants capture sediment and help rebuild the shoreline naturally. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024

Verb

The exploration data collected to-date indicates that previous historical open pit heap leaching operations did not advance their plans to develop attractive, wide, shallow gold-silver mineralization hosted in major structural zones in the Bisbee Group sediments west of the Contention Pit. —Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024

The team observed the octopuses launch objects and sediment several body lengths away. —Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Sep. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin sedimentum settling, from sedēre to sit, sink down

First Known Use

Noun

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1859, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

sediment

noun

sed·​i·​ment

ˈsed-ə-mənt

1

: the material from a liquid that settles to the bottom

2

: material (as stones and sand) deposited by water, wind, or glaciers

sediment

-ˌment

verb

Medical Definition

sediment

1 of 2 noun

sed·​i·​ment ˈsed-ə-mənt 

: the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid

sediment

2 of 2 transitive verb

sed·​i·​ment -ˌment 

: to deposit as sediment

the synaptosomes were sedimented by centrifugation

intransitive verb

1

: to settle to the bottom in a liquid

let the red blood cells sediment for 30 minutes

2

: to deposit sediment