sableux

Sableux is a French adjective meaning sandy or consisting largely of sand. It is used to describe natural features, soils, and landscapes where sand is the dominant component. The term derives from sable, meaning sand, with the adjectival suffix -eux, and has cognates in other Romance languages. In everyday usage, sableux can describe soils, beaches, dunes, or plains with a visible sand content.

In soil science, sableux describes soils whose texture is dominated by sand, with silt and clay present in smaller amounts. Such soils are typically well-drained and have high permeability, but low water retention and low nutrient-holding capacity. They can be prone to drought and erosion and often require management such as organic matter addition, mulch, or irrigation to maintain productivity. In construction, sandy soils can affect bearing capacity and require soil stabilization or specific foundation design.

In geographic and ecological descriptions, sableux landscapes include deserts, coastal dunes, and river terraces where sand accumulates. The term is commonly used in French-language geology, agronomy, and geography to distinguish sands from silty or clayey soils, and to describe texture-related behavior of soils and sediments.