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Loess

2 stages from German to English.

Today it means a fine windblown silt forming fertile soils

Where does the word "loess" come from? It comes from German Löss, adopted directly into English (1830s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
Löss
German · 1820s
"loose soil"
the geologist Karl Cäsar von Leonhard named the Rhine valley's loose silt from Alemannic 'lösch', loose
2
Stage 2 of 2
loess
English · 1830s
"windblown silt"
applied to vast deposits such as China's Loess Plateau
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Read the full story

Loess’s story begins in German: Löss meant “loose soil.” The geologist Karl Cäsar von Leonhard named the Rhine valley's loose silt from Alemannic 'lösch', loose. It reached English by 1830s as loess. Applied to vast deposits such as China's Loess Plateau. Today, loess means a fine windblown silt forming fertile soils.