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till

till

4 9.9
Loose mix of clay, sand, gravel, and stones left by a glacier
  • noun
  • /tɪl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sedimento glacial
  • Scientists studied the till deposits to understand the area's glacial history.
  • glacial till

Examples

  • The construction workers found a layer of till beneath the surface while digging the foundation.

  • The predominant soils are alluvial tills, including loamy coarse sands with some gravel (Hanes, 1974).

    Academic text (2008)
  • At the core's top, of course, was humus, and beneath that, a glacial till of clay, sand, gravel, and pebbles.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The farmer discovered that the till was rich in nutrients, making it ideal for planting crops.

Synonyms

boulder clay
vstill
  • UK
7.9

A heavy mix of clay, sand, and large stones left by glaciers

is the broader term for unsorted glacial deposits

Idioms

5 7.5

A promise to stay married for the rest of both people's lives

To steal money from your workplace, for example from a cash register

Surface Forms

till singular
tills plural

Etymology

Till (soil) comes from an old word for a mixed heap of earth and stones left by ice, so it helps to remember that glacial till is a messy, unsorted 'mix' of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders.