Diageneses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The processes of chemical and physical changes that occur in sediments over time
2. The series of transformations of sediment into sedimentary rock through compaction and cementation
3. The mechanisms by which sediments are altered and lithified into solid forms through various geological processes

Etymology: "Diageneses" is simply the plural of "diagenesis", a geological term for the chemical, physical and biological changes that sediment undergoes after it has been deposited and buried, short of metamorphism. The core word was coined in the 18th century from Ancient Greek roots: "dia-", meaning "through", and "genesis", meaning "origin" or "creation". Read literally, the combination suggests "through generation", a sense of a rock being transformed as it passes through successive stages of formation. The plural form follows the Greek pattern for nouns ending in "-sis", which change to "-ses" in the plural, as in "analysis" and "analyses". The modern scientific use of the term is therefore a deliberate construction from classical building blocks rather than a word that existed in ancient times.