- characteristic of, resembling, or containing sediment
- (of rocks) formed by the accumulation and consolidation of mineral and organic fragments that have been deposited by water, ice, or wind
Compare igneous, metamorphic
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
sed•i•men•ta•ry /ˌsɛdəˈmɛntəri/USA pronunciation also sed•i•men•tal /ˌsɛdəˈmɛntəl/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- of or relating to sediment:sedimentary matter at the bottom of the glass.
- Geologyformed by the matter deposited by the action of water, air, or ice:sedimentary rocks.
sed•i•men•ta•ry
(sed′ə men′tə rē),USA pronunciation adj.
sed•i•men•tar•i•ly
(sed′ə mən târ′ə lē, sed′ə mən ter′-),USA pronunciation adv.
- of, pertaining to, or of the nature of sediment.
- Geologyformed by the deposition of sediment, as certain rocks.
- 1820–30; sediment + -ary
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
sedimentary /ˌsɛdɪˈmɛntərɪ/ adj
'sedimentary' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
albite
- arenaceous
- argillaceous
- barite
- barytes
- bed
- Burgess Shale
- calcite
- chalk
- chert
- clay
- concretion
- conglomerate
- dolomite
- fossiliferous
- ganister
- graptolite
- igneous
- laccolith
- lignite
- limestone
- marl
- massive
- metamorphic
- oolite
- oolith
- orthoclase
- overburden
- petroleum
- pool
- quartz
- ripple mark
- rock
- sandstone
- sedimentation
- shale
- siderite
- sill
- stratum
- stratification
- superposition
- alluvium
- argillite
- arkose
- bedding
- biostratigraphy
- biostrome
- conodont
- diastem
- evaporite