earthen

adjective

earth·​en ˈər-thən How to pronounce earthen (audio) -t͟hən How to pronounce earthen (audio)
1
: made of earth
2
: earthly

Examples of earthen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Locations included the port city of Essaouira and Aït Benhaddou, known for its earthen clay fortresses, in Morocco, Sicily’s Favignana and Castello di Santa Caterina, and Nestor’s Cave in Greece for the Cyclops sequence. — Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026 Grucci fireworks are stored in magazines, which in Radford are cement-block structures hidden by earthen berms and heavy timber. — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 The dam, a hulking earthen structure along Highway 101 between San Jose and Morgan Hill, was built in 1950. — Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 28 July 2026 The prototype was loaded into a Davis gun and blasted into earthen banks to simulate a high-speed crash. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for earthen

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of earthen was in the 13th century

Rhymes for earthen

See All Rhymes for earthen

Browse Nearby Words

Earth Day
earthen
earthenware
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Earthen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earthen. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

earthen

adjective
earth·​en ˈər-thən How to pronounce earthen (audio) -t͟hən How to pronounce earthen (audio)
: made of earth or of baked clay
an earthen floor
earthen dishes

More from Merriam-Webster on earthen

Nglish: Translation of earthen for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All