earthen

adjective

earth·​en ˈər-thən How to pronounce earthen (audio) -t͟hən How to pronounce earthen (audio)
1
: made of earth
2

Examples of earthen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web During the January 2023 storms, nearly a dozen earthen embankments along the Cosumnes River, near Sacramento, breached, causing flooding that resulted in three deaths. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Last January, crews worked feverishly there to save earthen levees farther down the Cosumnes after deadly flooding overtook motorists and submerged Highway 99 south of Elk Grove. Savanna Smith, Sacramento Bee, 19 Feb. 2024 Rich notes of cassis, mission fig, and earthen clay greet you on the nose, while a sip reveals great acidity and driving length. Jeanette Hurt, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 Miles of earthen canals in Pinal and Maricopa counties will be lined with concrete, centuries-old flood control gates replaced, and parts of the systems automated to increase efficiency and reduce water loss. The Arizona Republic, 29 Jan. 2024 The circular room—with its earthen floor, domed ceiling, petrified-wood water feature, and illuminated quartz crystal—felt womb-like. Katie James Watkinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2024 The Mongols adapted Chinese siege technology to flatten earthen and wooden walls. Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023 Before the 2017 emergency work, the 14-mile earthen levee that protects the town had been repaired twice by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in 1969 and 1983. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2023 Construction projects to upgrade old infrastructure, line eroding earthen canals with concrete, or efforts to install N-Drip irrigation systems ranged anywhere from 500 to 79,000 gallons of water saved per dollar awarded. The Arizona Republic, 13 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'earthen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of earthen was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near earthen

Cite this Entry

“Earthen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earthen. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

earthen

adjective
earth·​en ˈər-thən How to pronounce earthen (audio) -t͟hən How to pronounce earthen (audio)
: made of earth or of baked clay
an earthen floor
earthen dishes

More from Merriam-Webster on earthen

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