noun / verb
marl
MARL/mɑːrl/
Lime-rich clay or mud used to improve soil.
The pale marl crumbles beside a damp smear and fizzes where acid touches it.
Etymology
Latin marga named the clay-and-lime soil valued for enriching land, so the soil name is closely tied to agricultural use. Pliny described the word as Gaulish, but that ancestry is not firmly established.
In context
sun exposure than they do in champaign allowing for better ripening it is perhaps best known for its kimerijin soils the south-facing slopes are on an outcrop of chimeridge and marl
More examples
- The pit contains a thick layer of soft marl.
- They marl the field before planting the next crop.
- The sandy ground was marled to help it retain moisture.
Forms
marl · marls · marled · marling
Similar words
- clay
- Fine-grained earth that need not contain much lime.
- lime
- A calcium-based soil amendment without marl's clay component.