chernozem

[ chur-nuh-zem, chair-; Russian chyir-nuh-zyawm ]

/ ˈtʃɜr nəˌzɛm, ˈtʃɛər-; Russian tʃyɪr nʌˈzyɔm /

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noun

a soil common in cool or temperate semiarid climates, very black and rich in humus and carbonates.

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Origin of chernozem

1835–45; <Russian chernozëm, equivalent to chërn(yĭ) black + -o--o- + -zëm, variant, in compounds, of zemlyá earth, land; see humus

Words nearby chernozem

Chernigov, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Chernobyl, Chernovtsy, chernozem, Cherokee, Cherokee rose, Cherokees, cheroot, cherries jubilee

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chernozem in a sentence

In some ways, chernozems are well-equipped to stop contaminants in their tracks in a matter of months.
Russia’s invasion could cause long-term harm to Ukraine’s prized soil|Rebecca Dzombak|June 21, 2022|Science News
Earlier work suggested compaction could impact yields for up to five years if it reached deep enough into the chernozem.
Russia’s invasion could cause long-term harm to Ukraine’s prized soil|Rebecca Dzombak|June 21, 2022|Science News
This is the black earth known as chernozem, which is rich in humus.
Area Handbook for Romania|Eugene K. Keefe, Donald W. Bernier, Lyle E. Brenneman, William Giloane, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
About 20 percent of the agricultural land is of the chernozem type.
Area Handbook for Romania|Eugene K. Keefe, Donald W. Bernier, Lyle E. Brenneman, William Giloane, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole

Chernozem soils predominate, and the seasonal distribution of rainfall is more propitious than in Walachia.
Area Handbook for Romania|Eugene K. Keefe, Donald W. Bernier, Lyle E. Brenneman, William Giloane, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole

British Dictionary definitions for chernozem

chernozem

tschernosem

/ (ˈtʃɜːnəʊˌzɛm) /

noun

a black soil, rich in humus and carbonates, in cool or temperate semiarid regions, as the grasslands of Russia

Word Origin for chernozem

from Russian, contraction of chernaya zemlya black earth

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