Outwash

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A geological accumulation created by meltwater from glacial sources transporting sediments like sand and gravel away from the ice mass
2. The result of glacial meltwater processes, which involves sediments being transported and redistributed beyond the ice limit, creating deposits of sand, silt, and gravel
3. A type of sedimentary feature formed when meltwater from glaciers carries and deposits materials like sand and gravel at a distance from the ice source

Etymology: "Outwash" is a compound of "out" and "wash," and its literal sense is close to what the words suggest: something washed out. The "out-" prefix in English is an old and productive one, and it appears in a number of words meaning to remove or carry away, as in "outwash" itself. The verb behind the noun is Middle English "outwashen," meaning to wash out or rinse, and that is the root sense the geological term builds on. In geology, the term describes the material that meltwater streams carry away from the front of a glacier and deposit beyond it. As the ice melts, rushing water sorts the rock debris it has been carrying, leaving layers of sand, silt, and gravel spread across the plain downstream. The word thus takes an everyday act of cleaning and applies it to a landscape shaped by ice.

Synonyms: glacial outwash