loam

Etymology

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.

noun

1. (geology) A type of soil; an earthy mixture of sand, silt and clay, with organic matter to which its fertility is chiefly due.
2. (metalworking) A mixture of sand, clay, and other materials, used in making moulds for large castings, often without a pattern.

verb

1. To cover, smear, or fill with loam.

adj

1. Made of loam; consisting of loam.