Soil
/sɔɪl/noun
The upper layer of earth in which plants grow, or dirt on a surface.
Did you know?The English word *soil* is historically linked to Old French *soil/sueil*, meaning a threshold or floor, so the word’s story passes through the idea of a ground you stand on before it becomes the earth under your feet.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sed-
“to sit, to settle”
Latin
Latin
solium
“seat, throne”
Old French
Old French
soil, suil
“ground, floor, threshold”
Middle English
English
soile
“ground, earth; later, dirt or stain”
Modern English
English
soil
“the upper layer of earth; also to make dirty”