Word
earthen
Phoneticsearth·en
US/ˈɝθən/
UK/ˈɜːðən/
Definition
adj. made of or related to the earth. You use this to describe things that are natural, simple, or made from soil.
adj. consisting of or relating to the earth; made of soil or clay. Often used to describe objects that are rustic, natural, or unrefined in style.
Examples
“The pot is made of earthen clay.”
“The garden was filled with earthen mounds where the children played during the summer.”
“The architect designed the building using earthen materials to ensure it remained cool during the scorching summer months and warm in the winter.”
Examples
simple
“The pot is made of earthen clay.”
contextual
“The garden was filled with earthen mounds where the children played during the summer.”
complex
“The architect designed the building using earthen materials to ensure it remained cool during the scorching summer months and warm in the winter.”
Real-World Examples
“By 1350 CE, wooden palisades and guard towers ringed a trio of giant earthen mounds (and three smaller ones), the largest of which stood six stories high and covered three acres.” “This archaeological site in present-day Georgia features six large prehistoric earthen mounds as well as a village and plazas, and covers 54 acres (22 hectares) along the Etowah River.” Etymology
From Middle English erthen, urthen, from Old English eorþen, yrþen, ierþen (“made of earth”), from Proto-Germanic *irþīnaz. Cognate with Dutch aarden (“earthen”), German irden (“earthen”). By surface analysis, earth + -en (“made of”).
From earth + -en (“to make like”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.