Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
strata
Sponsored Links SilentPartner
Ad PR agency software. Web-based project management-accounting-time
www.eSilentPartner.com
Strata
Shop For Strata. Discover Your Deal at Shopzilla!
Shopzilla.com
7 dictionary results for: strata
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
stra·ta       [strey-tuh, strat-uh, strah-tuh] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.a pl. of stratum.
2.(usually considered nonstandard) stratum.
—Usage note See stratum.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Sponsored Links SilentPartner
Ad PR agency software. Web-based project management-accounting-time
www.eSilentPartner.com
Strata
Shop For Strata. Discover Your Deal at Shopzilla!
Shopzilla.com
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
stra·tum       [strey-tuhm, strat-uhm] Pronunciation Key
–noun, plural stra·ta       [strey-tuh, strat-uh] Pronunciation Key, 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]

—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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
stra·ta       (strā'tə, strāt'ə)  Pronunciation Key 
n.   A plural of stratum.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
stra·tum       (strā'təm, strāt'əm)  Pronunciation Key 
n.   pl. stra·ta (-tə) or stra·tums
  1. A horizontal layer of material, especially one of several parallel layers arranged one on top of another.
  2. Geology A bed or layer of sedimentary rock having approximately the same composition throughout.
  3. Any of the regions of the atmosphere, such as the troposphere, that occur as layers.
  4. Biology A layer of tissue: the epithelial stratum.
  5. A level of society composed of people with similar social, cultural, or economic status.
  6. One of a number of layers, levels, or divisions in an organized system: a complex poem with many strata of meaning.


[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.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
strata 
c.1700, plural of stratum.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
stratum       (strā'təm, strāt'əm)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural strata or stratums
  1. A layer of sedimentary rock whose composition is more or less the same throughout and that is visibly different from the rock layers above and below it.
  2. A layer of tissue, as of the skin or another organ.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Strata

Stra"ta\, n., pl. of Stratum.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Share This:Share This: digg.comShare This: ma.gnolia.comShare This: www.stumbleupon.comShare This: del.icio.usShare This: FacebookShare This: favorites.live.comShare This: www.technorati.comShare This: furl.netShare This: myweb2.search.yahoo.comShare This: www.google.com
Sponsored Links SilentPartner
Ad PR agency software. Web-based project management-accounting-time
www.eSilentPartner.com
Strata
Shop For Strata. Discover Your Deal at Shopzilla!
Shopzilla.com