argillaceous

[ ahr-juh-ley-shuhs ]

adjective

1. Geology, Petrology. of the nature of or resembling clay; clayey.
2. containing a considerable amount of clayey matter.

argillaceous

/ ˌɑːdʒɪˈleɪʃəs /

adjective

1. (of sedimentary rocks and deposits) composed of very fine-grained material, such as clay, shale, etc Compare arenaceous rudaceous

Word History and Origins

Origin of argillaceous¹

First recorded in 1725–35, argillaceous is from the Latin word argillāceus clayish. See argil, -aceous

Example Sentences

Its soil is often a hard, cracked, and parched clay rather than a waste of sand, and it constitutes an argillaceous table-land.

From Project Gutenberg

I also picked up a detached mass of argillaceous oxide of iron, and some fragments of striped hornstone.

From Project Gutenberg

Argillaceous Rocks are rocks in which clay prevails (including shales and slates).

From Project Gutenberg

Its powder is a light red, and emits an argillaceous odor when wetted.

From Project Gutenberg

The substratum of these ridges is an argillaceous, compact soil of the eldest formation.

From Project Gutenberg