Loam Meaning
/ləʊm/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA type of soil; an earthy mixture of sand, silt and clay, with organic matter to which its fertility is chiefly due.
nounA mixture of sand, clay, and other materials, used in making moulds for large castings, often without a pattern.
Sentence Examples
The garden soil was rich in loam.
Loam helped the plants grow stronger.
The substrate is a type of sandy loam.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The gardener mixed sand, silt, and clay to create rich ____ for the plants.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The gardener preferred to use ____ because it is a very fertile soil that holds moisture and nutrients.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English lome, lame, lam, from Old English lām (“clay, mud, mire, earth”), from Proto-West Germanic *laim, from Proto-Germanic *laimaz, *laimô (“clay”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyH- (“to smear”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Leem (“loam”), West Frisian liem (“loam”), Dutch leem (“loam”), German Lehm (“loam”). Related also to lime.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander
returneth to dust, the dust is earth, of earth we make
loam, and of why that loam whereto he was converted
might they not stop a beer-barrel?"
— c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The gardener mixed sand, silt, and clay to create rich ____ for the plants.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The gardener preferred to use ____ because it is a very fertile soil that holds moisture and nutrients.