alluvion Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun gradual formation of new land, by recession of the sea or deposit of sediment
  2. noun the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
    flood; deluge; inundation.
    • plains fertilized by annual inundations
  3. noun clay or silt or gravel carried by rushing streams and deposited where the stream slows down
    alluvial sediment; alluvium; alluvial deposit.

WordNet

Al*lu"vi*on noun
Etymology
F. alluvion, L. alluvio, fr. alluere to wash against; ad + luere, equiv. to lavare, to wash. See Lave.
Definitions
  1. Wash or flow of water against the shore or bank.
  2. An overflowing; an inundation; a flood. Lyell.
  3. Matter deposited by an inundation or the action of flowing water; alluvium.
    The golden alluvions are there [in California and Australia] spread over a far wider space: they are found not only on the banks of rivers, and in their beds, but are scattered over the surface of vast plains. R. Cobden.
  4. (Law) An accession of land gradually washed to the shore or bank by the flowing of water. See Accretion.

Webster 1913