Dirts

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A type of loose, earthy matter found on the ground; the unclean or stained surface material resulting from soil; or any unrefined or raw substance that accumulates or settles over time
2. The gritty or granular material that forms part of the earth's surface; the undesirable or filthy layer that collects on objects; or a natural resource in its raw state, often used in construction
3. A form of soil or earth typically found outdoors; the undesirable residue or filth on surfaces; or a natural component utilized in various industries for practical purposes

Etymology: Few English words have a more startling origin than "dirt": its earliest sense was excrement, not soil. Middle English "drit" came from Old Norse "drit", meaning the same thing, and the word traces back to a Proto-Germanic root that also gave Old English "gedrītan", "to defecate". Its relatives survive across the North Sea world, from Dutch "drijten" to Norwegian "dritt", and all of them still carry that bodily sense. The shift from waste to ground happened gradually. Filth in general, and then mud and grime, took over the word's territory, until the sense of loose earth on the land itself became the dominant one. The modern meaning of "dirt" as soil is thus a long way from its root, which is why the word still sounds faintly rude to some ears. Norwegian offers a close parallel. "Skitt" there means dirt, filth, grime and mud, and it descends from Old Norse "skítr", meaning shit, the same root that gave English its own blunt word. Both languages followed the same path from bodily waste to general muck.

Synonyms: soils, earths, grimes, mud

Antonyms: cleans, washes, cleanses