subsoil

[suhb-soil]

noun

1. the bed or stratum of earth or earthy material immediately under the surface soil.

subsoil

/ ˈsʌbˌsɔɪl /

noun

1. 1. Also called: undersoil. the layer of soil beneath the surface soil and overlying the bedrock

   2. ( as modifier )

      a subsoil plough

verb

1. (tr) to plough (land) to a depth below the normal ploughing level and so break up the subsoil

subsoil

1. In an ABC soil, the B horizon. The term was formerly used to mean the layer of earth below the humus or surface soil.

Other Word Forms

• subsoiler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of subsoil¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; sub- + soil ¹

Example Sentences

After scraping you’ll likely be left with subsoil, layers of clay or sand, that lack the life-giving nutrients plants require.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Excavators are then used to dig out the top soil and subsoil.

Read more on BBC

Taiwan’s religious diversity and vitality forms a kind of subsoil of the self-governed island’s identity and values.

Read more on New York Times

If you dig a burial pit into the subsoil, when you take the dead out and backfill it, the soil will be a different color.

Read more on Science Magazine

This man’s house is located in a region with dense clay subsoil.

Read more on Seattle Times

Related Words

• clay 
• coast 
• dirt 
• dust 
• gravel 
• land 
• mud 
• sand 
• shore 
• surface 
• terrain 
• turf