placer
/ˈpleɪsə(ɹ)/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.86 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A lamb whose mother has died and which has transferred its attachment to an object, such as a bush or rock, in the locality.
Australian usage; New Zealand usage
adj
alluvial; occurring in a deposit of sand or earth on a river-bed or bank, particularly with reference to precious metals such as gold or silver
name
A barangay of Benito Soliven, Isabela, Philippines.
Example Sentences
- "Thou placer of plants both humble and tall"
- "a third-placer"
- "This is a “placer” sheep, as it is called. The prerequisites to this condition are that the young sheep must be still nursing, but must have begun to nibble grass. It must be the young of a mother that has been somewhat isolated, away from the corral and away from the herd, by herself out on the prairie. Now, when the mother dies, the lamb remains close to the mother′s body[…]."
- "1971, American Society of Animal Science. Journal of Animal Science, Volume 32, Pages 601-1298, page 1281, In Australia “placer” lambs are also destroyed, for these too are of little use; they will return constantly to one place, not staying with the flock."
- "Placer gold comes from the weathering of the primary veins releasing the gold to be transported by water action and concentrated in gravel or sand beds."
- "Since time immemorial, people found that they could extract the gold from placer deposits by sifting the fine-grained material through a mesh: the technique of panning."
Etymology
Etymology tree English place Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English placer From place + -er (agent noun suffix).