night soil

noun

1. human excrement collected and used as fertilizer.

night soil

noun

1. human excrement collected at night from cesspools, privies, etc, and sometimes used as a fertilizer

Word History and Origins

Origin of night soil¹

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

The decree touted the achievement of the progressive residents of Jiangnan Province who diligently collected their night soil from the cities and brought it to the farmers in the countryside.

From Nautilus

In pre-industrial Japan, Osaka’s city authorities discussed a complaint stating that ships coming to the city harbor to ferry out their night soil stunk too much.

From Nautilus

The night-soil is removed daily by the Cairo road authorities and converted into manure.

From Project Gutenberg

Into this the night-soil is poured from carts built for the purpose, until the receptacle is about two-thirds full.

From Project Gutenberg

A portion of night-soil, well incorporated with charcoal, is also very excellent.

From Project Gutenberg

The manure sold under this name is a compound of night-soil with clay, charcoal, or gypsum, made into balls or cakes.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dung
• feces
• manure
• poop