Meaning & use
sedimentary rock
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
Rock that forms when layers of sand, mud, or plant and animal remains are pressed and stuck together over a long time.
Grammar: Can be countable (a sedimentary rock) or uncountable (sedimentary rock).
Patterns
- a layer of sedimentary rock
- sedimentary rock forms
Limestone and sandstone are types of sedimentary rock.
The fossils were found in a layer of sedimentary rock.
Sedimentary rock often shows clear bands or layers.
Word forms
| plural | sedimentary rocks |
|---|
Common combinations
- a layer of sedimentary rock
- We could see a layer of sedimentary rock in the cliff.
- sedimentary rock formation
- The canyon is famous for its sedimentary rock formations.
- find fossils in sedimentary rock
- Paleontologists often find fossils in sedimentary rock.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rock
- A general word for the hard material of the earth; sedimentary rock is one specific type.
Opposites
Word family
- sediment noun
- The material that settles and eventually forms this rock.
- sedimentary adjective
- Describing something made of or related to sediment.
Commonly confused: sedimentary rock or igneous rock?
sedimentary rock vs igneous rock
Igneous rock forms from cooled magma or lava, not from compressed layers of sediment.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sedimentary rock' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Sedimentary rock forms from compressed layers of sediment. The other options confuse it with igneous rock or describe the wrong material.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sedimentary rock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.