Origin: Latin suffix -ment
Sediment has 5 different meanings across 2 categories:
A collection of small particles, particularly dirt, that precipitates from a river or other body of water.
"The heavy rain caused thick layers of sediment to settle at the bottom of the muddy river channel."
In plain English: Sediment is solid material that settles at the bottom of a liquid after particles sink out of it.
"The sediment settled at the bottom of the glass after pouring the wine."
Usage: Sediment refers to solid particles like sand and mud that settle at the bottom of rivers or lakes after sinking out of suspension. This noun is commonly used in geology, environmental science, and everyday descriptions of murky water clearing up over time.
deposit as a sediment
"The river carried sand and clay that eventually settled as sediment on the floodplain."
settle as sediment
"The fine silt slowly settled to the bottom of the lake, forming a thick layer of sediment over time."
To deposit material as a sediment.
"The river deposits silt and sand on its banks to form new sediment over time."
In plain English: To sediment means to settle down at the bottom of something after floating around for a while.
"The fine sand settled at the bottom of the jar after I let the water stand still."
The word entered English via Middle French and originally meant a substance that settles at the bottom of water because it is heavier than the liquid itself. It comes directly from the Latin verb sedeō, which means "to sit" or "to settle down."