substratum

[ suhb-strey-tuh m, -strat-uh m, suhb-strey-tuh m, -strat-uh m ]

/ ˈsʌbˌstreɪ təm, -ˌstræt əm, sʌbˈstreɪ təm, -ˈstræt əm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR substratum ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural sub·stra·ta [suhb-strey-tuh, -strat-uh, -suhb-strey-tuh, -strat-uh] /ˈsʌbˌstreɪ tə, -ˌstræt ə, -sʌbˈstreɪ tə, -ˈstræt ə/, sub·stra·tums.

something that is spread or laid under something else; a stratum or layer lying under another.

something that underlies or serves as a basis or foundation.

Agriculture. the subsoil.

Biology. the base or material on which a nonmotile organism lives or grows.

Philosophy. substance, considered as that which supports accidents or attributes.

Photography. a layer of material placed directly on a film or plate as a foundation for the sensitive emulsion.

Historical Linguistics. a set of features of a language traceable to the influence of an earlier language that it has replaced, especially among a subjugated population: The French word for 80, quatre-vingts (“four twenties”), may reflect a Celtic substratum.

Nearby words

substitutive, substitutivity, substract, substrate, substratosphere, substratum, substruction, substructure, subsulfate, subsume, subsumption

Compare superstratum.

Origin of substratum

From New Latin, dating back to 1625–35; see origin at sub-, stratum

Related formssub·stra·tive, sub·stra·tal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for substratum

The substratum of the community remains, however, such as I have shown it.
South America To-day|Georges Clemenceau
It goes by the name of jaung, and is a light soil, with a substratum of sand from six to twelve inches below the surface.
The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom|P. L. Simmonds
Instead of blowing plates of solid red, the old glass-makers used to flash a thin layer of red over a substratum of plain glass.
A History of Inventions, Discoveries, and Origins, Volume I (of 2)|Johann Beckman
Opposite as the two men were in every trait, a substratum of affinity came out in this deadlock of their glances.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy

Unfortunately, however, we shall find that this case is actually made the substratum of the law.
The History Of The Last Trial By Jury For Atheism In England|George Jacob Holyoake

British Dictionary definitions for substratum

substratum

/ (sʌbˈstrɑːtəm, -ˈstreɪ-) /

noun plural -strata (-ˈstrɑːtə, -ˈstreɪtə)

any layer or stratum lying underneath another

a basis or foundation; groundwork

the nonliving material on which an animal or plant grows or lives

geology

the solid rock underlying soils, gravels, etc; bedrock
the surface to which a fixed organism is attached

sociol any of several subdivisions or grades within a stratum

photog a binding layer by which an emulsion is made to adhere to a glass or film baseSometimes shortened to: sub

philosophy substance considered as that in which attributes and accidents inhere

linguistics the language of an indigenous population when replaced by the language of a conquering or colonizing population, esp as it influences the form of the dominant language or of any mixed languages arising from their contactCompare superstratum (def. 2)

Derived Formssubstrative or substratal, adjective

Word Origin for substratum

C17: from New Latin, from Latin substrātus strewn beneath, from substernere to spread under, from sub- + sternere to spread

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

Word Origin and History for substratum

substratum

1630s, from Modern Latin substratum (plural substrata), neuter singular past participle of Latin substernere "to spread underneath," from sub- (see sub-) + sternere (see stratum).