Standard Lemma guide

gossan

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /ˈɡɒsən/
  • US: /ˈɡɑsən/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Rust-coloured (weatherized and oxidized) rock or mineral deposits, forming the upper part or outcrop of a metallic vein.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed in the 1770s from Cornish gossen, from gōs (“blood”), from Old Cornish guit (compare Proto-Celtic *wolis).