loam
oxford
views updated May 11 2018loam / lōm/ •
n. a fertile soil of clay and sand containing humus. ∎ Geol. a soil with roughly equal proportions of sand, silt, and clay. ∎ a paste of clay and water with sand, chopped straw, etc., used in making bricks and plastering walls.DERIVATIVES: loam·i·ness n. loamy adj.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
loam
oxford
views updated May 21 2018loam A class of soil texture that is composed of
sand,
silt, and
clay, which produces a physical property intermediate between the extremes of the three components. It is an easily worked soil, much prized by farmers.
A Dictionary of Ecology MICHAEL ALLABY
loam
oxford
views updated Jun 08 2018loam A class of soil texture that is composed of
sand,
silt, and
clay, which produces a physical property intermediate between the extremes of the 3 components. It is an easily worked soil, much prized by farmers.
A Dictionary of Plant Sciences MICHAEL ALLABY
loam
oxford
views updated May 08 2018loam Class of soil texture composed of
sand,
silt, and
clay, which produces a physical property intermediate between the extremes of the three components.
A Dictionary of Earth Sciences AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY
loam
oxford
views updated May 23 2018loam †clay, earth OE.; clay moistened to form a paste XV; fertile soil mixture XVII. OE.
lām = (M)Du.
leem, MLG.
lēm, rel. to OHG.
leimo (G. dial.
leimen) :- WGmc. *
laimaz, *
laiman-, f. *
lai-, *
lǐ- be sticky (see
LIME1).
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
loam
oxford
views updated May 21 2018loam A fertile
soil that is made up of
organic matter mixed with clay, sand, and silt. Loams differ in their ratios of clay, sand, and silt, which influences which types of plants they can support.
A Dictionary of Biology
