terrigenous Hear it!

terrigenous Definition

ter·rig·enous (te rij′ə nəs, tə-)

adjective

  1. earthborn
  2. designating or of sea-bottom sediment derived from the erosion of land

Etymology: L terrigenus < terra, terra + gignere, to be born: see genus

terrigenous Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • sediment: Lower estuary sands and gravels are well-sorted and their very low percentage of heavy metals implies little input of terrigenous sediment.
  • debris: The high sea levels of the time meant there was little exposed land, so little terrigenous debris entered the sea.