colluvium

(redirected from colluvia)
Also found in: Encyclopedia.

col·lu·vi·um

 (kə-lo͞o′vē-əm)
n. pl. col·lu·vi·ums or col·lu·vi·a (-vē-ə)
A loose deposit of rock debris accumulated through the action of gravity at the base of a cliff or slope.

[Latin, a collection of washings, dregs, from colluere, to wash thoroughly : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + -luere, to wash; see leu(ə)- in Indo-European roots.]

col·lu′vi·al adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

colluvium

(kəˈluːvɪəm)
n, pl -via (-vɪə) or -viums
(Geological Science) a mixture of rock fragments from the bases of cliffs
[Latin: collection of filth, from colluere to wash thoroughly, from com- (intensive) + luere to wash]
colˈluvial adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

col•lu•vi•um

(kəˈlu vi əm)

n., pl. -vi•a (-vi ə) -vi•ums.
loose earth material that has accumulated at the base of a slope; talus.
[1935–40; < Latin colluv-, base of colluere to rinse, wash out <lavere to wash; compare alluvium, deluge]
col•lu′vi•al, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in periodicals archive ?
On the boulder level there is a poorly sorted sandy colluvia with an admixture of gravel (Mz = 0.97-1.52 phi; [[sigma].sub.1] = 1.2-1.85 phi) (d).
Colluvia Syrah - right - from Chile's highly respected De Martino outfit is pounds 6.99 at M&S and will also do the trick if you want something a bit more chunky.
Synecology and structure: it is a mantle formation with thorny shrubs, frequent in the impluvia and the colluvia, mainly north-facing, and on the bottom of the alluvial valley.
Thus, unless there are inputs of allochthonous materials, an organic-mineral soil cannot form and almost pure organic matter accumulates directly on the limestone (slabs or massive outcrops) or between calcareous gravels (rock fragments or slope colluvia).