subduction

noun/səbˈdʌkʃən/

Frequency rank: #15,926 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

The process by which one tectonic plate moves under another and sinks into the mantle.

Illustration for the English word “subduction”

Example sentence

The geologist explained that subduction occurs when one tectonic plate slides beneath another.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 15,901–16,000