| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| soil1 |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  soil |
| NOUN: | 1. The top layer of the earth's surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with organic matter. 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. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, a piece of ground (influenced in meaning by Latin solum, soil), from Latin solium, seat. See sed- in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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