noun / verb
soil
SOYL/sɔɪl/
Earth forming the ground's upper growing layer.
Plant roots spread through the dark, crumbly soil above the compact ground.
Etymology
The ancestor meant a piece of ground or a place; English narrowed this to earth, especially earth in which plants grow. Its earlier history seems to blend French words for ground, a threshold, and a muddy place.
In context
plants also cycle water and nutrients that all living things need between the soil and the atmosphere
More examples
- Mix compost into the soil to help it hold moisture.
- Sandy soils dry out quickly after rain.
- Heavy rain washes soil away from the bare hillside.
Forms
soil · soils