9 results for: Stratum
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- Stratotic
- stratous
- stratovolcano
- stratovolcanoes
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- STRATRECONCEN
- stratton
- stratton, charles sh…
- stratum
- stratum basale
- stratum compactum
- stratum corneum
- stratum functionale
- stratum germinativum
- stratum granulosum
- stratum intermedium
- stratum lucidum
- stratum spinosum
- stratum spongiosum
- stratums
- stratus
stra·tum
Audio Help [strey-tuh
m, strat-uh
m] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [strey-tuh
m, strat-uh
m] Pronunciation Key –noun, plural stra·ta
Audio Help [strey-tuh, strat-uh] Pronunciation Key, stra·tums.
Audio Help [strey-tuh, strat-uh] Pronunciation Key, stra·tums. | 1. | a layer of material, naturally or artificially formed, often one of a number of parallel layers one upon another: a stratum of ancient foundations. |
| 2. | one of a number of portions or divisions likened to layers or levels: an allegory with many strata of meaning. |
| 3. | Geology. a single bed of sedimentary rock, generally consisting of one kind of matter representing continuous deposition. |
| 4. | Biology. a layer of tissue; lamella. |
| 5. | Ecology. (in a plant community) a layer of vegetation, usually of the same or similar height. |
| 6. | a layer of the ocean or the atmosphere distinguished by natural or arbitrary limits. |
| 7. | Sociology. a level or grade of a people or population with reference to social position, education, etc.: the lowest stratum of society. |
| 8. | Linguistics. (in stratificational grammar) a major subdivision of linguistic structure. Compare level (def. 17). |
[Origin: 1590–1600; < L strātum lit., a cover, n. use of neut. of strātus, ptp. of sternere to spread, strew, equiv. to strā- var. s. + -tus ptp. suffix
]
] —Related forms
stratous, adjective
—Usage note Strata, historically the plural of stratum, is occasionally used as a singular: The lowest economic strata consists of the permanently unemployable. Less frequently, a plural stratas occurs: Several stratas of settlement can be seen in the excavation. At present, these uses are not well established, and they are condemned in usage guides. Strata may eventually become part of a group of borrowed plurals that are now used as singulars in English, such as agenda and candelabra, but it is not yet in that category. See also agenda, criterion, media, phenomenon.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Stratum
To learn more about Stratum visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| stra·tum
Audio Help (strā'təm, strāt'əm) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. stra·ta (-tə) or stra·tums
[Latin strātum, a covering, from neuter past participle of sternere, to spread; see stratus.] stra'tal (strāt'l) adj. Usage Note: The standard singular form is stratum; the standard plural is strata (or sometimes stratums), not stratas. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
stratum
"horizontal layer," 1599, from Mod.L., special use of L. stratum "thing spread out, coverlet, pavement," from neut. pp. of sternere "to spread out, lay down, stretch out," from PIE *stre-to- "to stretch, extend," from base *stere- "to spread, extend, stretch out" (see structure).
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| stratum | |
noun | |
| 1. | one of several parallel layers of material arranged one on top of another (such as a layer of tissue or cells in an organism or a layer of sedimentary rock) |
| 2. | people having the same social, economic, or educational status; "the working class"; "an emerging professional class" [syn: class] |
| 3. | an abstract place usually conceived as having depth; "a good actor communicates on several levels"; "a simile has at least two layers of meaning"; "the mind functions on many strata simultaneously" [syn: level] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
| stratum
Audio Help (strā'təm, strāt'əm) Pronunciation Key
Plural strata or stratums
|
| The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
stra·tum (str
t
m, str
t
m)
n. pl. stra·tums or
stra·ta (-t
)
- A horizontal layer of material, especially one of several parallel layers arranged one on top of another.
- Any of the layers of differentiated tissue forming an anatomical structure.
stra
tal (-t
l) adj.
| The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. |
Main Entry: stra·tum
Pronunciation: 'strAt-&m, 'strat-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural stra·ta /'strAt-&,
'strat-/
1 : a layer of tissue <a deep stratum of the skin>
2 : a statistical subpopulation
| Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc. |
Stratum
Con`ster*na"tion\, n. [L. consternatio, fr. consternare to overome, perplex, an accessory form of consternere to trow down, prostrate; con + sternere to spread out, throw down: cf. F. consternation. See Stratum.] Amazement or horror that confounds the faculties, and incapacitates for reflection; terror, combined with amazement; dismay. The chiefs around, In silence wrapped, in consternation drowned. Attend the stern reply. --Pope. Syn: Alarm; fright; amazement; astonishment; surprise; panic; perturbation. See Alarm.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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