View synonyms for substratum

substratum

[ suhb-strey-tuhm, -strat-uhm, suhb-strey-tuhm, -strat-uhm ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural sub·stra·ta [suhb, -strey-t, uh, -strat-, uh, -suhb-, strey, -t, uh, -, strat, -, uh], sub·stra·tums.

something that is spread or laid under something else; a stratum or layer lying under another.
something that underlies or serves as a basis or foundation.
Agriculture. the subsoil.
Biology. the base or material on which a nonmotile organism lives or grows.
Philosophy. substance, considered as that which supports accidents or attributes.
Photography. a layer of material placed directly on a film or plate as a foundation for the sensitive emulsion.
Historical Linguistics. a set of features of a language traceable to the influence of an earlier language that it has replaced, especially among a subjugated population:
The French word for 80, quatre-vingts (“four twenties”), may reflect a Celtic substratum.

substratum

/ sʌbˈstrɑːtəm; -ˈstreɪ- /

any layer or stratum lying underneath another
a basis or foundation; groundwork
the nonliving material on which an animal or plant grows or lives
geology
1. the solid rock underlying soils, gravels, etc; bedrock
2. the surface to which a fixed organism is attached
sociol any of several subdivisions or grades within a stratum
photog a binding layer by which an emulsion is made to adhere to a glass or film base Sometimes shortened tosub
philosophy substance considered as that in which attributes and accidents inhere
See superstratum
linguistics the language of an indigenous population when replaced by the language of a conquering or colonizing population, esp as it influences the form of the dominant language or of any mixed languages arising from their contact Compare superstratum