plac·er
(plăs′ər)n.
1. A glacial or alluvial deposit of sand or gravel containing eroded particles of valuable minerals.
2. A place where a placer deposit is washed to extract its mineral content.
[Spanish, shoal, placer, from Catalan placer, shoal, from plassa, place, from Medieval Latin placea; see place.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
placer
(ˈplæsə)n
(Mining & Quarrying)
a. surface sediment containing particles of gold or some other valuable mineral
b. (in combination): placer-mining.
[C19: from American Spanish: deposit, from Spanish plaza place]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
plac•er1
(ˈplæs ər)n.
1. a natural concentration of heavy metal particles, as gold or platinum, in sand or gravel deposited by rivers or glaciers.
2. the site of a form of mining (plac′er min`ing) in which a placer deposit is washed to separate the gold or other valuable minerals.
[1835–45, Amer.; < American Spanish; Sp: sandbank < Catalan placel, derivative of plaza open place; see plaza]
plac•er2
(ˈpleɪ sər)n.
1. a person who places or arranges things.
2. one of the winners of a race or other contest.
[1570–80]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
plac·er
(plăs′ər) A deposit of minerals, such as gold or magnetite, left by a river. The minerals are usually concentrated in one area because they are relatively heavy and therefore settle out of the river's currents more quickly than lighter sediments such as silt and sand. When mineral prospectors pan for gold, they look for placer deposits.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  placer - an alluvial deposit that contains particles of some valuable mineralalluvial deposit, alluvial sediment, alluvium, alluvion - clay or silt or gravel carried by rushing streams and deposited where the stream slows down |
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