sierozem

[ sahy-er-uh-zem; Russian see-er-uh-zhawm ]

noun

1. any of a group of calcareous, brownish gray soils based in a carbonate or hardpan layer, found in arid climates.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sierozem¹

First recorded in 1930–35; from Russian serozëm “gray earth,” from séryĭ “gray” + -o- linking vowel + zëm, variant, in compounds, of zemlyá “earth, land”; humus ( def )