Lines where two pieces of fabric or material are sewn together. Can also refer to thin layers of coal or ore in the earth.
From Old English 'seam' meaning 'suture' or 'joint', related to 'siwian' (to sew). The geological sense developed from the resemblance between sewn joints and mineral veins.
The phrase 'bursting at the seams' perfectly captures how these joining points become the weakest spots under pressure. In geology, coal seams tell the story of ancient swamps, compressed over millions of years into the energy that powered the Industrial Revolution.
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