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Glite Dictionary
alluviation

alluviation

9.9
A build-up of sand and gravel by flowing water in one place
  • noun
  • /əˌluːviˈeɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : aluviación
  • Regions prone to alluviation often have rich soil, making them ideal for agriculture.

Examples

  • The river experienced significant alluviation, causing new layers of sediment to build up along its banks.

  • After the flood, scientists studied the alluviation in the valley to understand how the landscape had changed.

  • Archaeology, moreover, demonstrates the presence of significant alluviation, with the Roman Forum of the imperial period separated from the stratum of the archaic period by several meters of alluvial deposits (Quilici 1979).

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

sedimentation
vsalluviation
  • Specialized
2 6.0

Small solid pieces settle and build up at the bottom of a liquid

is about accumulation across an area by flowing water rather than only bottom collection
deposal
vsalluviation
  • Specialized
8.7

Material like sand left in layers by water or wind

is about gradual build up in an area caused by moving water

Surface Forms

alluviation singular
alluviations plural

Morphology

alluviation = alluviate (opaque) = alluvi + ation

The word is a technical nominalization built on a rare stem and is not readily recoverable from familiar modern English parts by an average learner.

Etymology

Alluviation comes from Latin parts like alluv- (from ad- 'to' + luere 'to wash'), giving the picture of water washing soil and stones into one place. That's why alluviation means the process of sediments, like sand and gravel, being moved and left by water.