Meanings
plural laterites
- countableuncountableA red hard or gravel-like soil or subsoil formed in the tropics that has been leached of soluble minerals leaving insoluble iron and aluminium oxides and hydroxides; used to make bricks and roads.
Constant tropical rain makes a mush of hard old lavas. The end product is a brick red soil called laterite.
2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 381 more example
Although the track is ballasted, it does not prevent clouds of reddish dust from the laterite soil blowing about when the train is in motion; after a journey with the windows open a bath is a necessity!
1948 September and October, W. S. Darby, “The Gold Coast Railway—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 287Synonyms: murram
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA red hard or gravel-like soil or subsoil formed in the tropics that has been leached of soluble minerals leaving insoluble iron and aluminium oxides and hydroxides; used to make bricks and roads.
Origin
- Latinlater“brick”
- Englishlaterite
From Latin later (“brick”) + -ite.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish lateriitti
- lateriittired hard or gravel-like soil or subsoil
French latérite
- latéritered hard or gravel-like soil or subsoil
Greek λατερίτης
- λατερίτης (laterítis)red hard or gravel-like soil or subsoil
Polish lateryt
- laterytred hard or gravel-like soil or subsoil
Spanish laterita
- lateritared hard or gravel-like soil or subsoil
Vietnamese đá ong
- đá ongred hard or gravel-like soil or subsoil
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
laterite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laterite
“laterite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laterite. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “laterite,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laterite.
Source: laterite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.