Solums

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Referring to the upper layer of soil or the natural material covering the earth's surface; describing the ground or earth in a geological or agricultural context; pertaining to the base layer that supports plant life and foundations
2. Indicating the surface soil that sustains vegetation and provides nutrients; related to the earth's outermost stratum used in farming and land assessment; concerning the soil profile used in environmental and land management studies
3. Characterizing the topsoil or earth layer essential for plant growth and natural ecosystems; involving the ground composition analyzed for agricultural or construction purposes; denoting the soil cover constituting the foundation of terrestrial habitats

Etymology: "Solums" is the plural of "solum," a term for the upper layer of soil, and it comes from Latin "solum," meaning "base, bottom; soil." The Latin word is the same root that gave English "soil," and the two are doublets: they entered the language by different routes and ended up as separate words. "Soil" arrived through Old French, while "solum" was taken directly from Latin, which is why one is an everyday word and the other sounds technical. The plural form is the more specialized one. Scientists and soil surveyors use "solums" in the plural to describe the distinct horizons of a soil profile, the layers that together make up the upper portion of the ground.

Synonyms: floors, grounds