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Substrata - 3 dictionary results

sub⋅stra⋅tum

  [suhb-strey-tuhm, -strat-uhm, suhb-strey-tuhm, -strat-uhm]
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–noun, plural -stra⋅ta  [-strey-tuh, -strat-uh, -strey-tuh, -strat-uh] , -stra⋅tums.
1. something that is spread or laid under something else; a stratum or layer lying under another.
2. something that underlies or serves as a basis or foundation.
3. Agriculture. the subsoil.
4. Biology. the base or material on which a nonmotile organism lives or grows.
5. Philosophy. substance, considered as that which supports accidents or attributes.
6. Photography. a layer of material placed directly on a film or plate as a foundation for the sensitive emulsion.
7. Historical Linguistics. a set of features of a language traceable to the influence of an earlier language that it has replaced, esp. among a subjugated population: The French word for 80, quatre-vingts (“four twenties”), may reflect a Celtic substratum.
Compare superstratum.

Origin:
1625–35; < NL; see sub-, stratum

Related forms:
sub⋅stra⋅tive, sub⋅stra⋅tal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sub·stra·tum   (sŭb'strā'təm, -strāt'əm)   
n.   pl. sub·stra·ta (-strā'tə, -strāt'ə) or sub·stra·tums
    1. An underlying layer.
    2. A layer of earth beneath the surface soil; subsoil.
  2. A foundation or groundwork.
  3. The material on which another material is coated or fabricated.
  4. Philosophy The characterless substance that supports attributes of reality.
  5. Biology A substrate.
  6. Linguistics A substrate.

[New Latin substrātum, from neuter of Latin substrātus, past participle of substernere, to lay under : sub-, sub- + sternere, to stretch, spread; see ster-2 in Indo-European roots.]
sub·stra'tive adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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substratum   (sŭb'strā'təm, -strāt'əm)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural substrata or substratums
  1. An underlying layer or stratum.
  2. A surface on which an organism grows or is attached; a substrate.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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