Definition of SOIL

soil

Plural: soils

Noun

  • the state of being covered with unclean things
  • the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
  • material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)
    • "good agricultural soil"
  • the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state
    • "American troops were stationed on Japanese soil"
  • A mixture of mineral particles and organic material, used to support plant growth.
  • 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 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.
  • Country or territory.
  • That which soils or pollutes; a stain.
  • A marshy or miry place to which a hunted boar resorts for refuge; hence, a wet place, stream, or tract of water, sought for by other game, as deer.
  • Dung; compost; manure.
  • Faeces or urine etc. when found on clothes.
  • A bag containing soiled items.
  • A wet or marshy place in which a boar or other such game seeks refuge when hunted.

Verb

Verb Forms: soiled, soiling, soils

  • To make dirty or stain; to tarnish.
  • make soiled, filthy, or dirty
    • "don't soil your clothes when you play outside!"
  • To make dirty.
  • To become dirty or soiled.
  • To stain or mar, as with infamy or disgrace; to tarnish; to sully.
  • To dirty one's clothing by accidentally defecating while clothed.
  • To make invalid, to ruin.
  • To enrich with soil or muck; to manure.
  • To feed, as cattle or horses, in the barn or an enclosure, with fresh grass or green food cut for them, instead of sending them out to pasture; hence (due to such food having the effect of purging them) to purge by feeding on green food.

Examples

  • He tried not to soil his perfect game record with a careless, low-scoring word.
  • Light colours soil sooner than dark ones.
  • night soil
  • The child was so scared she soiled herself.
  • to soil a horse
  • We bought a bag of soil for the houseplants.

Origin / 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.
For the sole and soil relation, compare typologically Russian по́чва (póčva) akin to подо́шва (podóšva).

Antonyms

clean

Scrabble Score: 4

soil: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
soil: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
soil: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 5

soil: valid Words With Friends Word