leaching

leach  (lch)

v. leached, leach·ing, leach·es

v.tr.

1. To remove soluble or other constituents from by the action of a percolating liquid.

2. To empty; drain: "a world leached of pleasure, voided of meaning" (Marilynne Robinson).

v.intr.

To be dissolved or passed out by a percolating liquid.

n.

1. The act or process of leaching.

2. A porous, perforated, or sievelike vessel that holds material to be leached.

3. The substance through which a liquid is leached.

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[From Middle English leche, leachate, from Old English *lece, muddy stream; akin to leccan, to moisten.]

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leacha·bili·ty n.

leacha·ble adj.

leacher n.

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leaching  (lchng)

The removal of soluble material from a substance, such as soil or rock, through the percolation of water. Organic matter is typically removed from a soil horizon and soluble metals or salts from a rock by leaching. Leaching differs from eluviation in that it affects soluble, not suspended, material and often results in the complete removal of the material from the soil or rock.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

leaching - the process of leaching leach natural action, natural process, action, activity - a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings); "the action of natural forces"; "volcanic activity"