superstratum

[ soo-per-strey-tuhm, -strat-uhm, soo-per-strey-tuhm, -strat-uhm ]

See synonyms for superstratum on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural su·per·stra·ta

[soo-per-strey-tuh, -strat-uh, soo-per-strey-tuh, -strat-uh], /ˈsu pərˌstreɪ tə, -ˌstræt ə, ˌsu pərˈstreɪ tə, -ˈstræt ə/, su·per·stra·tums.

an overlying stratum or layer.
Historical Linguistics. a set of features of a language traceable to the influence of a language formerly spoken within the same society by a dominant group: English has a Norman-French superstratum.

Origin of superstratum

1800–10; super- + stratum; cf. substratum

Compare substratum.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for superstratum

superstratum

/ (ˌsuːpəˈstrɑːtəm, -ˈstreɪ-) /

nounplural -ta (-tə) or -tums

geology a layer or stratum overlying another layer or similar structure
linguistics the language of a conquering or colonizing population as it supplants that of an indigenous population, as for example French and English in the Caribbean: Compare substratum (def. 8)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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