Home › Words › H › hardpanhardpanhardpan · noun — A distinct layer of soil that is largely impervious to water.Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).EtymologyFrom hard + pan.nounA distinct layer of soil that is largely impervious to water.Synonym of dry lake.Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.panspot 62% match — An area where hard clay or similar material lies close to the surface in a shallow depression, limiting the ability of the ground to absorb water. vs hardpan →duripan 60% match — A diagnostic soil horizon of the USDA soil taxonomy that is cemented by illuvial silica into a subsurface hardpan. vs hardpan →claypan 60% match — A compact stratum of partially permeable material rich in clay. vs hardpan →duricrust 60% match — A thin hard layer found near the surface in soil. vs hardpan →impermeable 57% match — Impossible to permeate. vs hardpan →aquitard 57% match — A semipermeable layer along an aquifer. vs hardpan →moorpan 55% match — A clayey layer underlying some moors. vs hardpan →imporous 55% match — not porous; not having pores vs hardpan →