[chur-nuh-zem, chair-; Russ. chyir-nuh-zyawm] 
| a soil common in cool or temperate semiarid climates, very black and rich in humus and carbonates. |
| cher·no·zem (chěr'nə-zěm', chîr'nə-zyôm') n. A very black topsoil, rich in humus, typical of cool to temperate semiarid regions, such as the grasslands of European Russia. [Russian chernozëm : chërnyĭ, black + Old Russian zemĭ, earth; see dhghem- in Indo-European roots.] cher'no·zem'ic adj. |
nəˌzɛm