tailings

noun/ˈteɪlɪŋz/

Frequency rank: #17,350 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

the waste material left over after ore has been processed to extract valuable minerals.

Illustration for the English word “tailings”

Example sentence

The mine left behind large piles of tailings that contained traces of toxic chemicals.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 17,301–17,400