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to outwash

to outwash

8.5
To carry sand and gravel away by water from melting ice
  • verb
  • /ˈaʊtˌwɔʃ/
  • UK
translation icon : transportar sedimentos
  • The retreating glacier outwashes gravel and sand, creating broad plains.

Examples

  • Scientists study how meltwater outwashes materials to understand ancient glacial movements.

  • The melting glacier outwashed a significant amount of gravel, reshaping the valley landscape.

  • During the last ice age, rivers outwashed large amounts of sediment onto the valley floor.

  • The river outwashes sediment from the glacier.

  • During the summer, the glacier outwashes a lot of material.

  • As the ice receded, the river outwashed sand and sediments, forming fertile plains.

  • During warmer months, the glacial melt outwashes numerous materials into the surrounding areas.

Synonyms

to wash
vsto outwash
258 2.3

To carry away soil or rock by moving water

is the action by glacier meltwater that carries or deposits sediment specifically
to wash up
vsto outwash
35 3.6

To be carried by water onto the shore

is carried or deposited specifically by glacier meltwater rather than any water

Surface Forms

outwash infinitive
outwashed past
outwashed past participle
outwashing present participle
outwashes third person singular

Morphology

outwash = wash (transparent) = out + wash

The verb meaning 'to carry away or deposit by meltwater' follows directly from the compositional sense 'out' + 'wash' (to wash outwards or away). [Postprocessing: moved 'out' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Outwash comes from out + wash, with wash meaning 'to move by water'. To outwash is for meltwater to 'wash out' and carry sand and stones away from a glacier, leaving them in new places.