soil

¹ American  

[soil] / sɔɪl /

verb (used with object)

1. to feed (confined cattle, horses, etc.) freshly cut green fodder for roughage.

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soil ² American  

[soil] / sɔɪl /

verb (used with object)

1. to make unclean, dirty, or filthy, especially on the surface.

   to soil one's clothes.

2. to smirch, smudge, or stain.

   The ink soiled his hands.

3. to sully or tarnish, as with disgrace; defile morally.

   to soil one's good name.

   Synonyms:

   debase, taint, blacken

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verb (used without object)

1. to become soiled.

   White soils easily.

noun

1. the act or fact of soiling.

2. the state of being soiled.

3. a spot, mark, or stain.

4. dirty or foul matter; filth; sewage.

5. ordure; manure

soil ³ American  

[soil] / sɔɪl /

noun

1. the portion of the earth's surface consisting of disintegrated rock and humus.

2. a particular kind of earth.

   sandy soil.

3. the ground as producing vegetation or as cultivated for its crops.

   fertile soil.

4. a country, land, or region.

   an act committed on American soil.

5. the ground or earth.

   tilling the soil.

6. any place or condition providing the opportunity for growth or development.

   Some believe that poverty provides the soil for crime.

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soil ¹ British  

/ sɔɪl /

noun

1. the top layer of the land surface of the earth that is composed of disintegrated rock particles, humus, water, and air See zonal soil azonal soil intrazonal soil horizon horizon

2. a type of this material having specific characteristics

   loamy soil

3. land, country, or region

   one's native soil

4. life and work on a farm; land

   he belonged to the soil, as his forefathers had

5. any place or thing encouraging growth or development

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soil ² British  

/ sɔɪl /

verb

1. to make or become dirty or stained

2. (tr) to pollute with sin or disgrace; sully; defile

   he soiled the family honour by his cowardice

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noun

1. the state or result of soiling

2. refuse, manure, or excrement

soil ³ British  

/ sɔɪl /

verb

1. (tr) to feed (livestock) freshly cut green fodder either to fatten or purge them

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soil Scientific  

/ soil /

1. The loose top layer of the Earth's surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with decayed organic matter (humus), and capable of retaining water, providing nutrients for plants, and supporting a wide range of biotic communities. Soil is formed by a combination of depositional, chemical, and biological processes and plays an important role in the carbon, nitrogen, and hydrologic cycles. Soil types vary widely from one region to another, depending on the type of bedrock they overlie and the climate in which they form. In wet and humid regions, for example, soils tend to be thicker than they do in dry regions.

2. See more at A horizon B horizon C horizon See illustration at ABC soil

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soil Cultural  

1. Material on the surface of the Earth on which plants can grow. (See topsoil.)

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Discover More

Soil is produced by the weathering of rocks.

Other Word Forms

• soilless adjective

Etymology

Origin of soil¹

First recorded in 1600–10; origin uncertain

Origin of soil¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English verb soilen, soil(l)e “to dirty,” from Old French soillier, soullier, suillier, from Vulgar Latin suculāre, (unrecorded) “to wallow like a pig,” derivative verb of suculus or sucula, diminutives of sus “pig, sow”; sow ², -cle ¹

Origin of soil¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English soil, soil(l)e “land, native land, piece of ground, earth, soil,” from Anglo-French soil, soyl, variants of Old French sueil, souil, from Latin solium “high-backed chair, throne, seat,” confused with solum “base, foundation, ground”; sole ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

But military officials and diplomats say the U.S. has built the world’s most formidable assembly of overseas military bases without owning foreign soil.

From The Wall Street Journal

Army Corps of Engineers oversaw the removal of ash, debris and a layer of soil.

From Los Angeles Times

Swampy groundwater, asbestos and soil contamination at the site have caused delays and overruns, according to the Fed.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the recent rains do mean that soils remain wet, which can leave trees more vulnerable to high winds.

From Los Angeles Times

"Should this application be approved, we would feel unable to reassure our constituents that we are doing everything possible to protect them on British soil," they add.

From BBC

Related Words

• besmirch
• contaminate
• debase
• degrade
• muddy
• pollute
• smear
• smudge
• sully
• taint
• tar
• tarnish