Stratums

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A layer or level within a structure or system, particularly in geology or sociology
2. a distinct tier of classification in an organized hierarchy
3. or a foundational segment in a broader framework of elements

Etymology: "Stratums" is the plural of "stratum", a noun meaning a layer of rock. The singular comes from Latin "strātum", meaning "a spread for a bed, coverlet, quilt, blanket", the neuter form of "strātus", the past participle of "sternere", "to spread". A stratum, then, was originally a thing laid out flat, like bedding, before it came to mean a layer laid down in the earth. The same Latin root gave English two other words that took quite different paths. "Estrade", a raised platform, came through French, and "street" came through Old English from the same Latin source, which is why the three are doublets. The shared idea is spreading something out over a surface, whether a bed, a stage, or a paved road.

Synonyms: layers, tiers, levels, beds, strata