Atterberg limit

noun

Any of three basic measures of the critical water contents of a fine-grained soil: its shrinkage limit, plastic limit, and liquid limit.

Meanings

nounAtterberg limit (plural Atterberg limits)

plural Atterberg limits

  1. Any of three basic measures of the critical water contents of a fine-grained soil: its shrinkage limit, plastic limit, and liquid limit.

Origin

Devised in 1911 by Swedish chemist and agronomist Albert Atterberg.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Atterberg limit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Atterberg%20limit

MLA

“Atterberg limit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Atterberg%20limit. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Atterberg limit,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Atterberg%20limit.

Source: Atterberg limit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.