soil: 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 amounts to making a pigsty of it. The verb comes via Old French souiller from Vulgar Latin *suculāre ‘make dirty’, a derivative of Latin suculus ‘little pig’. This was a diminutive form of sūs ‘pig’, a relative of English sow. French souiller may also be the source of English sully [16]. => sow, sully
soil (v.)
early 13c., "to defile or pollute with sin," from Old French soillier "to splatter with mud, to foul or make dirty," originally "to wallow" (12c., Modern French souillier), from souil "tub, wild boar's wallow, pigsty," which is from either Latin solium "tub for bathing; seat," or Latin suculus "little pig," from sus "pig." Literal meaning "to make dirty, begrime" is attested from c. 1300 in English. Related: Soiled; soiling.
soil (n.1)
c. 1300, originally "land, area, place," from Anglo-French soil "piece of ground, place" (13c.), from an merger or confusion of Old French sol "bottom, ground, soil" (12c., from Latin solum "soil, ground;" see sole (n.1)), Old French soeul, sueil "threshold, area, place" (from Latin solium "seat"), and Old French soil, soille "a miry place," from soillier (see soil (v.)).
Meaning "place of one's nativity" is from c. 1400. Meaning "mould, earth, dirt" (especially that which plants grow in) is attested from mid-15c.
soil (n.2)
"filth, dirt, refuse matter, sewage, liquid likely to contain excrement," c. 1600, earlier "miry or muddy place" (early 15c.), from Old French soille "miry place," from soillier (v.) "to make dirty," and in part a native formation from soil (v.). This is the sense in archaic night-soil.
雙語例句
1. The constitution prohibits them from military engagement on foreign soil.
憲法禁止他們在外國采取軍事行動。
來自柯林斯例句
2. The chalky soil around Saumur produces the famous Anjou wines.
索米爾周圍的白堊質(zhì)土壤出產(chǎn)著名的安茹葡萄酒。
來自柯林斯例句
3. She gathered loose soil and let it filter slowly through her fingers.
她捧起疏松的泥土，任其緩緩地從指間漏下。
來自柯林斯例句
4. The soil washed from the hills is silting up the hydroelectric dams.
從山上沖刷下來的泥土就要讓水電大壩淤塞了。
來自柯林斯例句
5. The soil must not be overwatered, especially during the first few weeks.