lode

[ lohd ]

noun

1. a veinlike deposit, usually metalliferous.
2. any body of ore set off from adjacent rock formations.
3. a rich supply or source.
4. British. a waterway or channel.

lode

/ ləʊd /

noun

1. a deposit of valuable ore occurring between definite limits in the surrounding rock; vein
2. a deposit of metallic ore filling a fissure in the surrounding rock

lode

/ lōd /

1. A vein of mineral ore that is deposited between clearly demarcated layers of rock or that fills a fissure in a rock formation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lode¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English lād way, course, carrying; cognate with Old Norse leith way, route, Old High German leita procession. See load, lade, lead ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of lode¹

Old English lād course. Compare load

Example Sentences

Despite California’s sapphire tilt, the state’s donors are the mother lode of campaign cash for both parties.

From Los Angeles Times

But it could be a mother lode for small and large local news outlets, providing $500 million a year to preserve and grow local newsrooms.

From Seattle Times

But for a noir of isolation and concealment, about how the past can often feel inescapable, these shadowy dugouts — Travis’ motel, a church and one character’s lonely lair — are an atmospheric mother lode.

From Los Angeles Times

Two-thousand-five-hundred miles west of Dodger Stadium was a mother lode of Dodgers memorabilia.

From Los Angeles Times

The encyclopedia was crucial not only because it’s free and accessible, but also because it contains a mother lode of facts and so much of its material is consistently formatted.

From New York Times

Related Words

• vein