[soil] 
| 1. | the portion of the earth's surface consisting of disintegrated rock and humus. |
| 2. | a particular kind of earth: sandy soil. |
| 3. | the ground as producing vegetation or as cultivated for its crops: fertile soil. |
| 4. | a country, land, or region: an act committed on American soil. |
| 5. | the ground or earth: tilling the soil. |
| 6. | any place or condition providing the opportunity for growth or development: Some believe that poverty provides the soil for crime. |
[soil] | 1. | to make unclean, dirty, or filthy, esp. on the surface: to soil one's clothes. |
| 2. | to smirch, smudge, or stain: The ink soiled his hands. |
| 3. | to sully or tarnish, as with disgrace; defile morally: to soil one's good name. |
| 4. | to become soiled: White soils easily. |
| 5. | the act or fact of soiling. |
| 6. | the state of being soiled. |
| 7. | a spot, mark, or stain. |
| 8. | dirty or foul matter; filth; sewage. |
| 9. | ordure; manure. |
[soil] | to feed (confined cattle, horses, etc.) freshly cut green fodder for roughage. |
| soil 1 (soil) n.
[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, a piece of ground (influenced in meaning by Latin solum, soil), from Latin solium, seat; see sed- in Indo-European roots.] |
| soil 2 (soil) v. soiled, soil·ing, soils v. tr.
To become dirty, stained, or tarnished. n.
[Middle English soilen, from Old French souiller, from Vulgar Latin *suculāre (from Late Latin suculus, diminutive of Latin sūs, pig; see sū- in Indo-European roots) or from souil, pigsty, wallow (from Latin solium, seat; see soil1).] |
| soil 3 (soil) tr.v. soiled, soil·ing, soils
[Origin unknown.] |
Material on the surface of the Earth on which plants can grow. (See topsoil.)
Note: Soil is produced by the weathering of rocks.
