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lo·ess

(lōəs, lĕs, lŭs)

A buff to gray windblown deposit of fine-grained, calcareous silt or clay.

[German Löss, from German dialectal Lösch, from lösch, loose; see leu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

lo·essi·al (lō-ĕsē-əl, lĕsē-əl, lŭs-) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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