/ˈsɛdəmənt/
Say it backSediment refers to solid particles, such as mineral grains or organic matter, that settle out of a liquid or gas due to gravity. It comprises material transported by water, wind, or ice and accumulates as a distinct layer or deposit. In geology and environmental science, sediment helps reveal past conditions and processes. It is often described by grain size, composition, and depositional environment.
"The river carried a heavy load of sediment to the delta."
"During the dry season, sediment was exposed along the lakebed."
"Scientists sampled the sediment core to study historical climate changes."
You say sed-ih-ment with the primary stress on the second syllable: se-DI-ment. IPA: US/UK/AU sɪˈdɪmənt. Start with a light schwa in the first syllable, then a clear short i, and finish with a soft 'ment' ending. Listen for the two consonants 'd' and 'm' blending smoothly, not a heavy break between syllables. You can think of 'sed' as 'seh-d' with the stress on 'di'.
Common mistakes include stressing the first syllable (SE-di-ment) instead of the second (se-DI-ment), or pronouncing the middle vowel as a full 'i' like 'see' rather than a short lax 'i' as in 'kit.' Some speakers insert an extra vowel between d and m (se-di-men-t). Correct by keeping a quick, unstressed first syllable with a clear but short 'i' in the second syllable and a tidy final 'ment'.
In US/UK/AU, the primary stress remains on the second syllable. US tends to reduce the first syllable to a schwa more quickly, while UK and AU often have a slightly crisper 'di' in the second syllable. The 'd' is a voiced alveolar stop in all, but connected speech in fast speech may blur the media consonants. Across accents, the vowel in the first syllable remains a short schwa, so the main difference is rhythm and vowel reduction in surrounding vowels.
The difficulty lies in achieving the correct unstressed schwa in the first syllable and the short, lax vowel in the second syllable, followed by a clean 'ment' ending. The transition from 'd' to 'm' should be smooth, not a hard pause. Also, avoid turning the second syllable into a long 'ee' or 'ay' vowel. Practice with a slight, quick pause between syllables and aim for an even beat.
A sediment-specific concern is the subtle vowel quality of the second syllable: the 'i' is short and lax, not a long 'ee' sound, and the following 'm' should be nasal only after the 'n' sound. Emphasize the 'd' as a light stop, then smoothly transition into the nasal 'm' without nasal-emphatic emphasis. This yields the natural se-DI-ment pronunciation that native speakers expect.
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Sediment comes from the Latin sedimentum, from sedere, meaning 'to sit' or 'to settle.' The root sed- conveys sitting or settling. Early Latin used sedimentum to denote something that settles at the bottom; in English, the word broadened to refer specifically to solid material that settles from a suspension, especially in water or air. The term appears in English pharmacology and natural history in the 16th–17th centuries, aligning with scientific study of deposits and strata. Over time, sediment accrued specialized senses in geology, hydrology, and environmental science, consistently tied to the act of settling out of a driving medium and forming a deposit. The core sense remains stable: material that has settled and accumulated from a fluid or gas. First known use traces back to scholarly Latin documents and early English translations where 'sediment' described what settles at the bottom of liquids, evolving into the modern, precise scientific usage we employ today.
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Words that rhyme with "sediment"
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