soil
Forms
- Plural
- soils
- present (v1)
- soil
- past (v2)
- soiled
- past participle (v3)
- soiled
- present participle
- soiling
- 3rd person singular
- soils
Definitions
1.A mixture of mineral particles and organic material, used to support plant growth.
- We bought a bag of soil for the houseplants.
2.The unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the immediate surface of the earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants.
- The air is soft, the soil moist.
3.Country or territory.
- Except during the season in town, she spends her year in golfing, either at St Magnus or Pau, for, like all good Americans, she has long since abjured her native soil.
4.The unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the earth that has been subjected to and shows effects of genetic and environmental factors of: climate (including water and temperature effects), and macro- and microorganisms, conditioned by relief, acting on parent material over a period of time. A product-soil differs from the material from which it is derived in many physical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties and characteristics.
- The air is soft, the soil moist.
1.To make dirty.
2.To stain or mar, as with infamy or disgrace; to tarnish; to sully.
3.To dirty one's clothing by accidentally defecating while clothed.
- The child was so scared she soiled herself.
4.To become dirty or soiled.
- Light colours soil sooner than dark ones.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #2244
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English soile, soyle, sule (“ground, earth”), partly from Anglo-Norman soyl (“bottom, ground, pavement”), from Latin solium (“seat, chair; throne”), mistaken for Latin solum (“ground, foundation, earth, sole of the foot”); and partly from Old English sol (“mud, mire, wet sand”), from Proto-Germanic *sulą (“mud, spot”), from Proto-Indo-European *sūl- (“thick liquid”). Cognate with Middle Low German söle (“dirt, mud”), Middle Dutch sol (“dirt, filth”), Middle High German sol, söl (“dirt, mud, mire”), Danish søle (“mud, muck”). Compare French seuil (“level; threshold”) and sol (“soil, earth; ground”). See also sole, soal, solum.