friable
Breaks apart readily
Friable describes something that crumbles easily when touched or rubbed.
Soil scientists use it for earth that breaks apart readily in the hand—ideal for planting.
The term appears in medicine for tissue that fragments easily, and in pharmacy for tablets designed to disintegrate: Theiteiteite friableite sandstone eroded quickly.
Pronounced FRY-uh-bull.
Liable to shatter
- flakyCrumbly or unreliable
- granularMade of tiny particles
- powderyReduced to fine particles
- grittyCoarse or courageous
disintegrating · fragmentary · mealy · sandy · chippy · shortcrust · frangible · crumbliness
Buttery, crumbly biscuit
- pastryButtery baked dough
- streuselCrumbly baked pastry layer
- crumbleFragment gradually
- sconeSmall crumbly teatime bread
biscuit · pie crust · shortcrust · butter · flour · tender · flaky · light
Atmospheric breakdown of materials
- erosionGradual wearing away
- degradationDecline in condition
- disintegrationProcess of breaking apart
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
rock · shale · chalk · limestone · outcrop · sedimentary · mineral · bedrock
brittle
Liable to shatter
gritty · disintegrating · fragmentary · mealy · sandy · chippy · shortcrust · frangible · crumbliness · grainy
shortbread
Buttery, crumbly biscuit
scone · biscuit · pie crust · shortcrust · butter · flour · tender · flaky · light · delicate
weathering
Atmospheric breakdown of materials
- erosionGradual wearing away
- degradationDecline in condition
- disintegrationProcess of breaking apart
sedimentation · rock · shale · chalk · limestone · outcrop · sedimentary · mineral · bedrock · talus
loam
Fertile soil mixture
plowable · tillable · sandy · clayey · silt · porous · permeable · aeration · cultivation · mulch
tissue
Disposable soft paper
- lesionArea of pathological change
- plaqueInscribed memorial tablet
- calculusMathematical analysis system
necrotic · eschar · dental · tumor · pathological · decayed · porous
- asbestosasbestos removal, ACM, abatement, amphibole, serpentine
- bacterial coloniescolony, petri dish, circular, convex, raised
- Soilsoil, topsoil, subsoil, dirt, loam
- rock propertieshardness, porosity, grain size, density, roughness
- soil typesclay soil, sandy soil, loamy soil, rocky soil, loam
- Skin Findingslesion, macule, papule, pustule, vesicle
friabledense
Closely packed together
compact · compressed · solid · packed · consolidated