Definitions

1. noun

A layer of sediment deposited in a lake or sea, typically consisting of a cycle of light and dark layers, used in geology as an indicator of past climates and environments.

“The geologists studied the varves in the lakebed to reconstruct the local climate patterns of the past century.”

2. verb

To deposit sediment in a layer, typically in a lake or sea, in a way that forms varves.

“The river varved the sandy sediment at the mouth of the lake during the spring flood.”