subsoil

[ suhb-soil ]
See synonyms for subsoil on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the bed or stratum of earth or earthy material immediately under the surface soil.

Origin of subsoil

1
First recorded in 1790–1800; sub- + soil1

Words Nearby subsoil

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

How to use subsoil in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subsoil

subsoil

/ (ˈsʌbˌsɔɪl) /


noun
    • Also called: undersoil the layer of soil beneath the surface soil and overlying the bedrock

    • (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

Derived forms of subsoil

  • subsoiler, noun

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

Scientific definitions for subsoil

subsoil

[ sŭbsoil′ ]


  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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.