Skip to main content Skip to Search Box

Definition: SOIL from A Dictionary of Entomology

Noun. (Middle English, soilen < Latin, solium = seat < solum = base, ground, foundation. PL, Soils.) 1. Loose, aggregated material forming surface of ground in which plants grow. Cf. Humus. 2. Cultivated or tilled ground.


soil

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
surface layer of the earth, composed of fine rock material disintegrated by geological processes; and humus , the organic remains of decomposed vegetation. In agriculture , soil is the medium that supports crop plants, both physically and biologically. Soil may be from a few inches to several feet thick. The inorganic fraction of soil may include various sizes and shapes of rocks and minerals; in order of increasing size these are termed clay , silt , sand , gravel , and stone. Coarser soils have lower capacity to retain organic plant nutrients, gases, and water, which are essential for plants. Soils with higher clay content, which tend to retain these substances, are therefore usually better suited for agriculture. In most soils, clay and organic particles aggregate into plates, blocks, prisms, or granules. The arrangement of particles, known as soil structure, largely determines the soil's pore space and density, which translates into its capacity to hold air and water. Organic…
13,077 results

Full text Article soil

From Philip's Encyclopedia
Surface layer of loose material resting on top of the rock which makes up the surface of the Earth. It consists of undissolved minerals produced by the weathering and breakdown of surface rocks, organic matter, water, and gases. The organic remains provide the humus and the inorganic particles…
| 107 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article soil

From Word Origins
Soil ‘ground’ [14] and soil ‘make dirty’ [13] are distinct words. The former comes from Anglo-Norman soil ‘land’. This was the formal descendant of Latin solium ‘seat’, but its use for ‘land’ appears to have arisen from confusion with Latin solum ‘ground’. Etymologically, to soil something virtually…
| 102 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article soil

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
surface layer of the earth, composed of fine rock material disintegrated by geological processes; and humus , the organic remains of decomposed vegetation. In agriculture , soil is the medium that supports crop plants, both physically and biologically. Soil may be from a few inches to several feet…
| 630 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article SOIL

From Gaither's Dictionary of Scientific Quotations
American naturalist and writer The youth of the earth is in the soil and in the trees and verdure that springs from it… Under the Apple-Trees Chapter II (p. 40 ) Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston Massachusetts USA . 1916. American lecturer, poet, and essayist Every plant is a manufacturer of soil. …
| 625 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article SOIL

From National Geographic Answer Book: 10,001 Fast Facts About Our World Full text Article PLANET EARTH
SOIL ORDERS ALFISOLS in mild climates ANDISOLS in volcanic sites ARIDISOLS in deserts, arid lands ENTISOLS in newly exposed spots GELISOLS amid permafrost HISTOSOLS (peats) in wetlands INCEPTISOLS in former floodplains MOLLISOLS in grasslands OXISOLS in weathered tropical surfaces SPODOSOLS are…
| 457 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article SOILS

From The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales
Soils are a country’s most neglected basic resource. They are the foundation of all terrestrial ecosystems, including agriculture and forestry , providing a vital link between physical environment and living world. Formed at the surface of the earth, soils are natural entities resulting from the…
| 1,352 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article soil

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Loose covering of broken rocky material and decaying organic matter overlying the bedrock of the Earth's surface. It is composed of minerals (formed from physical weathering and chemical weathering of rocks), organic matter (called humus ) derived from decomposed plants and organisms, living…
| 403 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Soil

From The Visual Guides: Understanding Weather and The Environment Full text Article THE ENVIRONMENT
Description Time Total Time The soil is the surface layer of Earth that results from the degradation of the basement rock. 00:02 - 00:07 00:01:10 Far from being a sterile environment, the soil is crawling with life. 00:09 - 00:12 According to estimates, one cubic meter of fertile soil contains one…
| 172 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article soil

From Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary
A mixture of inorganic matter derived from weathered rocks and organic components resulting from decay of prior vegetation. Eight elements are present in the inorganic component in excess of 1% (oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and sodium), most in the ionized state. …
| 287 words
Key concepts:
Transmission electron microscopy...
Abstract Volcanic soils form by weathering of volcanogenic materials. Their distribution on the Earth parallels that of terrestrial volcanoes, and they are found across various climates, but most of them are classified as Andisols. This soil group shares unique physical and chemical properties…
| 8,013 words , 10 images
Key concepts:
Mind Map

Stack overflow
More Library Resources