soil
n. C / Un. the top layer of earth where plants grow. It is made of tiny pieces of rock, air, water, and dead plants.
n. the upper layer of earth in which plants grow, consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles.
The gardener adds compost to improve the soil.
Farmers must rotate their crops every few years to keep the soil healthy and full of nutrients.
The region's volcanic soil is exceptionally fertile, allowing local vineyards to produce grapes with a unique mineral profile that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
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. For the sole and soil relation, compare typologically Russian по́чва (póčva) akin to подо́шва (podóšva).
From Middle English soilen, soulen, suylen (“to sully, make dirty”), partly from Old French soillier, souillier (“to soil, make dirty, wallow in mire”), from Old Frankish saulijan, sulwijan (“to make dirty, soil”); partly from Old English solian, sylian (“to soil, make dirty”), from Proto-Germanic sulwōną, sulwijaną, saulijaną (“to soil, make dirty”), from Proto-Indo-European sūl- (“thick liquid”). Cognate with Old Frisian sulia (“to soil, mire”), Middle Dutch soluwen, seulewen (“to soil, besmirch”), Old High German solōn, bisulen (“to make dirty”), German suhlen (“to soil, make dirty”), Danish søle (“to make dirty, defile”), Swedish söla (“to soil, make dirty”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌿𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bisauljan, “to bemire”). Compare sully.
From Middle English soyl, from Old French soil, souil (“quagmire, marsh”), from Frankish sōlja, saulja (“mire, miry place, wallow”), from Proto-Germanic saulijō (“mud, puddle, feces”), from Proto-Indo-European sūl- (“thick liquid”). Cognate with Old English syle, sylu, sylen (“miry place, wallow”), Old High German sol, gisol (“miry place”), German Suhle (“a wallow, mud pit, muddy pool”).
From Old French saoler, saouler (“to satiate”).
Uncountable when referring to the substance generally; countable when referring to specific types or geographical varieties.