ore bed
- noun
- /ɔr bɛd/
- Specialized
:
cama de mineral
- The miners discovered a rich ore bed deep beneath the mountain.
Examples
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This region is famous for its extensive ore beds containing valuable minerals.
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Geologists mapped the location of each ore bed before mining operations began.
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The ore bed was rich in copper.
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Many miners discovered an ore bed last year.
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Geologists mapped the location of each ore bed before mining operations began.
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The miners discovered a rich ore bed deep beneath the mountain.
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This region is famous for its extensive ore beds containing valuable minerals.
Synonyms
63
3.7
A rock or mineral that has metal you can take out and sell
12
6.3
A layer of coal or ore in the earth that can be mined
A thin layer of rock that contains metal or other valuable rock that people can mine
How Large
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a layer or stratum of ore' is directly derivable from combining 'ore' (rock/mineral yielding metal) with 'bed' (a layer or layer-like deposit). This noun-noun compounding to indicate a type or layer is a common, compositional pattern in English and in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Ore bed comes from the simple image of a 'bed' under the ground full of ore. Miners and geologists saw these flat layers as a 'bed' of rock, so ore bed now means a 'layer' or 'deposit' of ore in the earth.