soil
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
soil 1
(soil)n.
1. The top layer of the earth's surface in which plants can grow, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with decayed organic matter and having the capability of retaining water.
2. A particular kind of earth or ground: sandy soil.
3. Country; land: native soil.
4. The agricultural life: a man of the soil.
5. A place or condition favorable to growth; a breeding ground.
[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, a piece of ground (influenced in meaning by Latin solum, soil), from Latin solium, seat; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]
soil 2
(soil)v. soiled, soil·ing, soils
v.tr.
1. To make dirty, particularly on the surface.
2. To disgrace; tarnish: a reputation soiled by scandal.
3. To corrupt; defile.
4. To dirty with excrement.
v.intr.
To become dirty, stained, or tarnished.
n.
1.
a. The state of being soiled.
b. A stain.
2. Filth, sewage, or refuse.
3. Manure, especially human excrement, used as fertilizer.
[Middle English soilen, from Old French souiller, from Vulgar Latin *suculāre (from Late Latin suculus, diminutive of Latin sūs, pig; see sū- in Indo-European roots) or from souil, wallow of a wild boar (from Latin solium, seat, bathtub; see soil1).]
soil 3
(soil)tr.v. soiled, soil·ing, soils
To feed (livestock) with soilage.
[Origin unknown.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
soil
(sɔɪl)n
1. (Physical Geography) 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, horizon4, horizon5
2. (Physical Geography) a type of this material having specific characteristics: loamy soil.
3. land, country, or region: one's native soil.
4. (Agriculture) the soil 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
[C14: from Anglo-Norman, from Latin solium a seat, but confused with Latin solum the ground]
soil
(sɔɪl)vb
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.
n
3. the state or result of soiling
4. (Biology) refuse, manure, or excrement
[C13: from Old French soillier to defile, from soil pigsty, probably from Latin sūs a swine]
soil
(sɔɪl)vb
(Agriculture) (tr) to feed (livestock) freshly cut green fodder either to fatten or purge them
[C17: perhaps from obsolete vb (C16) soil to manure, from soil2 (n)]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
soil1
(sɔɪl)n.
1. the portion of the earth's surface consisting of disintegrated rock and humus.
2. the ground or earth: tilling the soil.
3. a particular kind of earth: sandy soil.
4. a country, land, or region.
5. any environment nurturing growth or development.
[1300–50; Middle English soile < Anglo-French soyl < Latin solium seat, confused with solum ground]
soil2
(sɔɪl)v.t.
1. to make dirty or filthy.
2. to smudge or stain.
3. to sully or tarnish, as with disgrace.
v.i. 4. to become soiled.
n. 5. the act or fact of soiling.
6. the state of being soiled.
7. a spot or stain.
8. foul matter; filth; sewage.
9. ordure; manure.
[1175–1225; Middle English soilen (v.) < Old French souiller, soillier to dirty, (of a pig) to wallow, appar. derivative of souil pigsty, abysm, of uncertain orig.]
soil3
(sɔɪl)v.t.
to feed (confined cattle, horses, etc.) freshly cut green fodder for roughage.
[1595–1605; orig. uncertain]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
soil
(soil) The loose top layer of the Earth's surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with decayed organic matter (known as humus). Soil provides the support and nutrients that many plants need to grow.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Soil
the branch of geology concerned with the adaptability of land to agriculture, soil quality, etc.
the branch of soil science dealing especially with crop production. — agrologist, n. — agrological, adj.
pedology.
the science of cultivation; agriculture. — geoponist, n. — geoponic, geoponical, adj.
the process by which loose mineral fragments or particles of sand are solidified into stone.
the branch of pedology that studies the soil conditions of past geologic ages. — paleopedologist, palaeopedologist, n. — paleopedologic, palaeopedologic, paleopedological, palaeopedological, adj.
the branch of agriculture that studies soils; soil science. — pedologist, n. — pedologic, pedological, adj.
the state or quality of being rich or fertile. — pinguid, adj.
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
soil
Past participle: soiled
Gerund: soiling
| Imperative |
|---|
| soil |
| soil |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
soil
Broken rock fragments, often mixed with decayed organic matter.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  soil - the state of being covered with unclean thingsdirtiness, uncleanness - the state of being unsanitary |
| 2. |  soil - the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rockmarl - a loose and crumbling earthy deposit consisting mainly of calcite or dolomite; used as a fertilizer for soils deficient in lime regosol - a type of soil consisting of unconsolidated material from freshly deposited alluvium or sand residual clay, residual soil - the soil that is remaining after the soluble elements have been dissolved surface soil, topsoil - the layer of soil on the surface alluvial soil - a fine-grained fertile soil deposited by water flowing over flood plains or in river beds bog soil - poorly drained soils on top of peat and under marsh or swamp vegetation clay - a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired clunch - hardened clay desert soil, desertic soil - a type of soil that develops in arid climates earth, ground - the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface; "they dug into the earth outside the church" caliche, hardpan - crust or layer of hard subsoil encrusted with calcium-carbonate occurring in arid or semiarid regions fuller's earth - an absorbent soil resembling clay; used in fulling (shrinking and thickening) woolen cloth and as an adsorbent gilgai soil - soil in the melon holes of Australia gumbo, gumbo soil - any of various fine-grained silty soils that become waxy and very sticky mud when saturated with water humus - partially decomposed organic matter; the organic component of soil indurated clay - hardened clay Indian red - a red soil containing ferric oxide; often used as a pigment laterite - a red soil produced by rock decay; contains insoluble deposits of ferric and aluminum oxides loam - a rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand and clay and decaying organic materials loess - a fine-grained unstratified accumulation of clay and silt deposited by the wind bole - a soft oily clay used as a pigment (especially a reddish brown pigment) podsol, podsol soil, podsolic soil, podzol, podzol soil - a soil that develops in temperate to cold moist climates under coniferous or heath vegetation; an organic mat over a grey leached layer prairie soil - a type of soil occurring under grasses in temperate climates sand - a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral sedimentary clay - clay soil formed by sedimentary deposits silt - mud or clay or small rocks deposited by a river or lake boulder clay, till - unstratified soil deposited by a glacier; consists of sand and clay and gravel and boulders mixed together tundra soil - a black mucky soil with a frozen subsoil that is characteristic of Arctic and subarctic regions wiesenboden - a dark meadow soil rich in organic material; developed through poor drainage in humid grassy or sedge regions | |
| 3. | soil - material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use); "the land had never been plowed"; "good agricultural soil" object, physical object - a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow; "it was full of rackets, balls and other objects" badlands - deeply eroded barren land bottomland, bottom - low-lying alluvial land near a river coastland - land in a coastal area ploughland, plowland, tillage, tilled land, cultivated land, farmland, tilth - arable land that is worked by plowing and sowing and raising crops overburden - the surface soil that must be moved away to get at coal seams and mineral deposits permafrost - ground that is permanently frozen polder - low-lying land that has been reclaimed and is protected by dikes (especially in the Netherlands) rangeland - land suitable for grazing livestock scablands - (geology) flat elevated land with poor soil and little vegetation that is scarred by dry channels of glacial origin (especially in eastern Washington) wetland - a low area where the land is saturated with water | |
| 4. | soil - the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state; "American troops were stationed on Japanese soil" geographic area, geographic region, geographical area, geographical region - a demarcated area of the Earth | |
| Verb | 1. |  soil - make soiled, filthy, or dirty; "don't soil your clothes when you play outside!"alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" foul - make unclean; "foul the water" smear - stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance slime - cover or stain with slime; "The snake slimed his victim" splash - soil or stain with a splashed liquid mud, muck up, muck, mire - soil with mud, muck, or mire; "The child mucked up his shirt while playing ball in the garden" crock - soil with or as with crock |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
soil
1noun
Related words
adjective telluric
adjective telluric
soil
2verb dirty, foul, stain, smear, muddy, pollute, tarnish, spatter, sully, defile, besmirch, smirch, maculate (literary), bedraggle, befoul, begrime Young people don't want to do things that soil their hands.
dirty clean, wash, bath, sweep, dust, wipe, cleanse, vacuum, scrub, sponge, rinse, mop, launder, scour, purify, swab, disinfect, lave, sanitize
dirty clean, wash, bath, sweep, dust, wipe, cleanse, vacuum, scrub, sponge, rinse, mop, launder, scour, purify, swab, disinfect, lave, sanitize
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
soil
verb1. To make dirty:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
تُرْبَةٌتُرْبَهيُوَسِّخ، يُلَطِّخ
sòl
půdašpinitzemě
jordgrund
maaperämultasontaliatalika
zemlja
földtalajtáptalaj
tanah
jarîveguróhreinka
土
흙
augsnenotraipītzeme
špiniť
zemlja
jordmark
ดิน
đất
soil
1 [sɔɪl] N (= earth) → tierra fhis native soil → su tierra natal, su patria
on British soil → en suelo británico
the soil (= farmland) → la tierra
soil
2 [sɔɪl]A. VT
B. VI → ensuciarse
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
soil
[ˈsɔɪl] n
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
soil
1n (= earth, ground) → Erde f, → Erdreich nt, → Boden m; cover it with soil → bedecken Sie es mit Erde; native/foreign/British soil → heimatlicher/fremder/britischer Boden, heimatliche/fremde/britische Erde; the soil (fig: = farmland) → die Scholle; a son of the soil → ein mit der Scholle verwachsener Mensch
soil
2vt (lit) → beschmutzen, schmutzig machen; (fig) reputation → beschmutzen, beflecken; honour → beflecken; oneself → besudeln; the baby has soiled its nappy → das Baby hat eine schmutzige Windel or hat in die Windel gemacht; to soil one’s hands (lit, fig) → sich (dat) → die Hände schmutzig or dreckig (inf) → machen
vi → schmutzig werden, verschmutzen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
soil
[sɔɪl]Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
soil1
(soil) noun the upper layer of the earth, in which plants grow. to plant seeds in the soil; a handful of soil.
soil2
(soil) verb to dirty or stain. Don't soil your dress with these dusty books!
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
soil
→ تُرْبَةٌ půda jord Erde χώμα tierra maaperä terre zemlja suolo 土 흙 grond jord gleba solo почва jord ดิน toprak đất 土壤Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
soil
n. tierra, terreno; [dirt] suciedad.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
soil
vt ensuciar; to — oneself ensuciarseEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.