A Lode Is a Vein Miners Follow Through Rock
A lode is a deposit of ore in a fissure. The word comes from the idea of a path to be followed.
A lode is a vein of metal ore filling a fissure in rock. The name describes the miner's experience rather than the geology: Old English *lad* meant a way or course, and a lode is a path through stone that can be followed. The same root gives *lodestar*, the star steered by, and *lodestone*, the magnet that shows direction. The *mother lode* is the principal vein of a district, a term from the Californian gold rush.
- A vein of ore. *A rich lode.*
- Mother lode — the main vein. *The mother lode.*
- Lodestar — a guiding star. *A lodestar.*
- Load — the same origin. *A load.*
- Old English — *lad*, a way. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lode | A lode. |
| Plural | lodes | Lodes. |
| Compound | lodestar | A lodestar. |
| Compound | lodestone | A lodestone. |
| Related | load | A load. |
- They followed the lode downward.Mining.
- He struck the mother lode.Idiom.
- Lad meant a way.Etymology.
How a lode forms
- A fracture opens in the surrounding rock
- Hot mineral-bearing fluid rises through it
- Minerals crystallise as the fluid cools
- The filled fracture becomes a vein of ore
- Miners follow it rather than digging at random
Old English *lad*, a way or course, the same source as *load*.
Why is an ore vein called a lode?
From the Old English word for a way or course. A lode is a path through rock that miners can follow.
What is the mother lode?
The principal vein of a mining district, a term popularised during the Californian gold rush.