loam

[ lohm ]

noun

1. a rich, friable soil containing a relatively equal mixture of sand and silt and a somewhat smaller proportion of clay.
2. a mixture of clay, sand, straw, etc., used in making molds for founding and in plastering walls, stopping holes, etc.
3. earth or soil.
4. Obsolete. clay or clayey earth.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover or stop with loam.

loam

/ ləʊm /

noun

1. rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand, clay, and decaying organic material
2. a paste of clay and sand used for making moulds in a foundry, plastering walls, etc

verb

1. tr to cover, treat, or fill with loam

loam

/ lōm /

1. Soil composed of approximately equal quantities of sand, silt, and clay, often with variable amounts of decayed plant matter.

Derived Forms

• ˈloaminess, noun
• ˈloamy, adjective

Other Words From

• loam·less adjective
• loam·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of loam¹

First recorded before 900; from late Middle English lome, earlier lam(e), Old English lām; cognate with Dutch leem, German Lehm “loam, clay”; akin to lime ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of loam¹

Old English lām; related to Old Swedish lēmo clay, Old High German leimo

Example Sentences

It’s a sandy loam mixed with lightweight volcanic aggregate to provide the volume and moisture needed to support plant life while reducing the weight on the structure and allowing for easy drainage.

From Los Angeles Times

Juke joints, once commonplace across the Deep South, were the loam out of which blues music grew, a vast network of shacks, old shops and converted homes where traveling musicians would play a night for a share of the cover charge, then move on to the next gig.

From New York Times

That’s because, contrary to the shibboleth, the good isn’t the enemy of the great—it’s the loam of the great.

From The New Yorker

Dalya, who lives two doors down, wanders by to share insights about cultivating shitakes on loam in a shady side yard.

From Los Angeles Times

Dobrynya dashed to where his sword lay in the loam beneath the tree.

From Literature

Related Words

• acreage
• area
• beach
• continent
• country
• countryside
• district
• earth
• estate
• farmland
• field
• ground
• home
• homeland
• nation
• parcel
• plot
• province
• ranch
• real estate