soil

Soil at varying depths.

Meanings

Noun

  • A mixture of mineral particles and organic material, used to support plant growth.
  • The unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the immediate surface of the earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants.
  • The unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the earth that has been subjected to and shows effects of genetic and environmental factors of: climate (including water and temperature effects), and macro- and microorganisms, conditioned by relief, acting on parent material over a period of time. A product-soil differs from the material from which it is derived in many physical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties and characteristics.
  • Country or territory.
  • That which soils or pollutes; a stain.
  • A marshy or miry place to which a hunted boar resorts for refuge; hence, a wet place, stream, or tract of water, sought for by other game, as deer.
  • Dung; compost; manure.
  • Faeces or urine etc. when found on clothes.
  • A bag containing soiled items.
  • A wet or marshy place in which a boar or other such game seeks refuge when hunted.

Verb

  • To make dirty.
  • To become dirty or soiled.
  • To stain or mar, as with infamy or disgrace; to tarnish; to sully.
  • To dirty one's clothing by accidentally defecating while clothed.
  • To make invalid, to ruin.
  • To enrich with soil or muck; to manure.
  • To feed, as cattle or horses, in the barn or an enclosure, with fresh grass or green food cut for them, instead of sending them out to pasture; hence (due to such food having the effect of purging them) to purge by feeding on green food.

Related

Similar words

Origin

  • From Middle English soile, soyle, sule, partly from Anglo-Norman soyl, from Latin solium, mistaken for Latin solum; and partly from Old English sol, from Proto-Germanic *sulą, from Proto-Indo-European *sūl-. Cognate with Middle Low German söle, Middle Dutch sol, Middle High German sol, söl, Danish søle. Compare French seuil and sol. See also sole, soal, solum.
  • From Middle English soilen, soulen, suylen, partly from Old French soillier, souillier, from Old Frankish *sauljan, *sulljan; partly from Old English solian, sylian, from Proto-Germanic *sulwōną, *sulwijaną, *saulijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sūl-. Cognate with Old Frisian sulia, Middle Dutch soluwen, seulewen, Old High German solōn, bisulen, German suhlen, Danish søle, Swedish söla, Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌿𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽. Compare sully.
  • From Middle English soyl, from Old French soil, souil, from Frankish *sōlja, *saulja, from Proto-Germanic *saulijō, from Proto-Indo-European *sūl-. Cognate with Old English syle, sylu, sylen, Old High German sol, gisol, German Suhle ("a wallow, mud pit, muddy pool").
  • From Old French saoler, saouler.

Modern English dictionary

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