peneplain

American

[pee-nuh-pleyn, pee-nuh-pleyn] / ˈpi nəˌpleɪn, ˌpi nəˈpleɪn /

Or peneplane

noun

Geology.

an area reduced almost to a plain by erosion.

peneplain British

/ ˈpiːnɪˌpleɪn, ˌpiːnɪˈpleɪn /

noun

a relatively flat land surface produced by a long period of erosion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

peneplanation noun

Etymology

Origin of peneplain

First recorded in 1885–90; pene- + plain ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At a stage shortly preceding the base-level stage the surface would be a peneplain.

From Project Gutenberg

These rocks were upraised probably in part into lofty mountains, and then worn down by erosion nearly to sea-level, thus forming what is termed a peneplain, or a plain of subaerial denudation.

From Project Gutenberg

This plain, like all the others in this region, is a local peneplain developed on soluble limestone.

From Project Gutenberg

This surface, or “peneplain,” was probably the result of denudation working away the beds almost to sea-level.

From Project Gutenberg

The final result is the reduction of the land surface to an approximate plain, called a peneplain, somewhere near sea level.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023