Dictionary
List of exercises
Exercises by level
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
OK
Meaning of soil in English
Pronunciation
/sɔɪl/
US accent
Your browser does not support the audio element.
How to pronounce soil in American English, in context
▾
Use the controls below
to browse different examples of pronunciation.
UK accent
Your browser does not support the audio element.
How to pronounce soil in British English, in context
▾
Use the controls below
to browse different examples of pronunciation.
Verb
soil
Etymology
Middle English (as a verb): from Old French soiller, based on Latin sucula, diminutive of sus‘pig’. The earliest use of the noun (late Middle English) was ‘muddy wallow for wild boar’; current noun senses date from the early 16th century
Definitions
1.
make soiled, filthy, or dirty
Examples
« don't soil your clothes when you play outside! »
Antonyms
clean
make clean
Noun
soil
Etymology
late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, perhaps representing Latin solium‘seat’, by association with solum‘ground’
Definitions
1.
the state of being covered with unclean things
2.
the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
3.
material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)
Examples
« the land had never been plowed »
« good agricultural soil »
4.
the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state
Examples
« American troops were stationed on Japanese soil »