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Stratums - 3 dictionary results
stra⋅tum
[strey-tuh
m, strat-uhm] 
–noun, plural stra⋅ta [strey-tuh, strat-uh] , stra⋅tums.
[strey-tuh, strat-uh] , 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
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.
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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
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Link To Stratums
| stra·tum (strā'təm, strāt'əm) 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 © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
| stratum (strā'təm, strāt'əm) Pronunciation Key
Plural strata or stratums
|
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
