Final answer:
The term for the combined processes that convert loose sediments into solid sedimentary rock is lithification. It includes compaction and cementation steps.
Step-by-step explanation:
The general term used to describe all the physical, chemical, and biological processes that transform loose sediments into sedimentary rock is lithification. This term encompasses the processes of compaction, where the grains of sediment are pressed closer together, reducing the porosity, and cementation, where minerals precipitate from water being squeezed out of pore spaces to act like a glue, binding the sediments into a coherent rock.
Other processes such as erosion and deposition play critical roles in the sedimentary rock cycle by wearing down pre-existing rocks and transporting the resultant particles to new locations where they can accumulate. However, it's the lithification process that actually turns these sediments into solid rock. Typical sedimentary rocks produced through this process include conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, shale, and other such rocks.