alluvion

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   clay, silt, sand, or gravel deposited by flowing water; alluvium

   Each flood left a fresh layer of alluvion across the valley floor.

2. 2
   noun

   the gradual addition of sediment to a riverbank or shore, or the new land formed by it

   Over many decades, alluvion extended the farmer's field toward the river.

3. 3
   noun

   dated: an overflow or flood of water; an inundation

   The sudden alluvion covered the low road and entered the fields.

Borrowed from Latin alluvio, genitive alluvionis, from alluere, 'to wash against or deposit beside,' formed from ad-, 'toward,' + lavere, 'to wash.' Roman law used the term for land gradually added by water, which explains the enduring legal property sense.

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