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soil

 - 10 dictionary results
Dirt, Sand, & Gravel
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soil
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soil

1  [soil]
Use soil in a Sentence
–noun
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.
Origin:
1300–50; ME soile < AF soyl < L solium seat, confused with solum ground

Related forms:
soilless, adjective
Dirt, Sand, & Gravel
Decomposed Granite, Topsoil, Mulch Order Online Lanndscaping Materials
www.SoilDirect.com
California - Soil
Looking for Soil in California? Find it here!
www.local.com

soil

2  [soil]
–verb (used with object)
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.
–verb (used without object)
4. to become soiled: White soils easily.
–noun
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.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME soilen (v.) < OF souiller, soillier to dirty < VL *suculāre, equiv. to sū(s) pig + -cul(us) -cle 1 + -āre inf. ending

Synonyms:
3. blacken, taint, debase.

soil

3  [soil]
–verb (used with object)
to feed (confined cattle, horses, etc.) freshly cut green fodder for roughage.
Origin:
1595–1605; orig. uncert.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To soil
soil 1   (soil)   
n.  

  1. The top layer of the earth's surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with organic matter.

  2. A particular kind of earth or ground: sandy soil.

  3. Country; land: native soil.

  4. The agricultural life: a man of the soil.

  5. A place or condition favorable to growth; a breeding ground.


[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.

  1. To make dirty, particularly on the surface.

  2. To disgrace; tarnish: a reputation soiled by scandal.

  3. To corrupt; defile.

  4. To dirty with excrement.

v.   intr.
To become dirty, stained, or tarnished.
n.  

    1. The state of being soiled.

    2. A stain.

  2. Filth, sewage, or refuse.

  3. Manure, especially human excrement, used as fertilizer.


[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

  1. To feed (livestock) with soilage.

  2. To purge (livestock) by feeding with green food.


[Origin unknown.]
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
Cultural Dictionary

soil

Material on the surface of the Earth on which plants can grow. (See topsoil.)

Note: Soil is produced by the weathering of rocks.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

soil  (v.)
c.1225, "to defile or pollute with sin," from O.Fr. souillier "to foul or make dirty," originally "to wallow," from souil "tub, wild boar's wallow, pigsty," either from L. solium "tub for bathing, seat," or from L. suculus "little pig," from sus "pig." Meaning "to make dirty, begrime" is attested from c.1297. This is the sense of the noun in archaic night-soil.

soil  (n.)
"the earth or ground," c.1300, from Anglo-Fr. soil "piece of ground, place" (13c.), from L. solium "seat," meaning confused with that of L. solum "soil, ground." Meaning "mould, earth, dirt" (especially that which plants grow in) is attested from c.1440.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
soil   (soil)  Pronunciation Key 
The loose top layer of the Earth's surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with decayed organic matter (humus), and capable of retaining water, providing nutrients for plants, and supporting a wide range of biotic communities. Soil is formed by a combination of depositional, chemical, and biological processes and plays an important role in the carbon, nitrogen, and hydrologic cycles. Soil types vary widely from one region to another, depending on the type of bedrock they overlie and the climate in which they form. In wet and humid regions, for example, soils tend to be thicker than they do in dry regions. See more at A horizon, B horizon, C horizon., See illustration at ABC soil.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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