Etymologically
Log in

landfill

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 22:34. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ˈlæn(d).fɪl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English land + fill,[2][3][4] the second part being the noun fill, material used for filling.[2][3] Dictionary.com marks it as an Americanism.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A site where refuse is buried under layers of earth: 1903, in Scribner's Magazine.[2] Merriam-Webster also dates the word to 1903,[5] Etymonline finds it by 1916, of a place where waste was dumped and covered with soil so as to make land usable,[3] and Dictionary.com gives 1940–45.[4]

Semantic evolution

The word joined the idea of filling low ground to make usable land with that of getting rid of waste: Merriam-Webster defines the practice as burying trash under layers of earth in low ground, and also uses the word for an area built up in this way.[5][3] The method of disposal itself is called landfill from 1938, when the word was also first used attributively, as in landfill site, now the usual British phrase.[2][6] The material dumped, or used to level an excavated site, is landfill from 1969, with figurative uses.[2] The verb, to dispose of refuse at a landfill or to fill something with landfill, is recorded from 1988.[2]

Timeline

  • 1903 – a site where refuse is buried under earth.[2][5]
  • 1938 – the disposal of refuse by such burial; attributive use, landfill site.[2]
  • 1969 – material dumped at such a site, or used to level ground.[2]
  • 1988 – verb, to dispose of refuse at a landfill.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A site where waste is disposed of by burying it under layers of earth; a dump: The town's landfill is nearly full.[5][2]
  2. The disposal of waste in this way: Most of the plastic ends up in landfill.[6][5][2]
  3. The waste material buried at such a site, or material used to level ground.[2]

Verb

  1. To dispose of refuse by burying it at a landfill.[5][2]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins