Hypertext Webster Gateway: "soil"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Soil \Soil\, v. i.
To become soiled; as, light colors soil sooner than dark
ones.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Soil \Soil\, n. [See {Soil} to make dirty, {Soil} a miry place.]
That which soils or pollutes; a soiled place; spot; stain.

A lady's honor . . . will not bear a soil. --Dryden.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Soil \Soil\, v. t.
To enrich with soil or muck; to manure.

Men . . . soil their ground, not that they love the
dirt, but that they expect a crop. --South.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Soil \Soil\, n. [OF. soil, souil, F. souille, from OF. soillier,
F. souiller. See {Soil} to make dirty.]
A marshy or miry place to which a hunted boar resorts for
refuge; hence, a wet place, stream, or tract of water, sought
for by other game, as deer.

As deer, being stuck, fly through many soils, Yet still
the shaft sticks fast. --Marston.

{To take soil}, to run into the mire or water; hence, to take
refuge or shelter.

O, sir, have you taken soil here? It is well a man
may reach you after three hours' running. --B.
Jonson.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Soil \Soil\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Soiled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Soiling}.] [OF. saoler, saouler, to satiate, F. so[^u]ler,
L. satullare, fr. satullus, dim. of satur sated. See
{Satire}.]
To feed, as cattle or horses, in the barn or an inclosure,
with fresh grass or green food cut for them, instead of
sending them out to pasture; hence (such food having the
effect of purging them), to purge by feeding on green food;
as, to soil a horse.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Soil \Soil\, n. [OE. soile, F. sol, fr. L. solum bottom, soil;
but the word has probably been influenced in form by soil a
miry place. Cf. {Saloon}, {Soil} a miry place, {Sole} of the
foot.]
1. The upper stratum of the earth; the mold, or that compound
substance which furnishes nutriment to plants, or which is
particularly adapted to support and nourish them.

2. Land; country.

Must I thus leave thee, Paradise? thus leave Thee,
native soil? --Milton.

3. Dung; f[ae]ces; compost; manure; as, night soil.

Improve land by dung and other sort of soils.
--Mortimer.

{Soil pipe}, a pipe or drain for carrying off night soil.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Soil \Soil\, v. t.[OE. soilen, OF. soillier, F. souiller,
(assumed) LL. suculare, fr. L. sucula a little pig, dim. of
sus a swine. See {Sow}, n.]
1. To make dirty or unclean on the surface; to foul; to
dirty; to defile; as, to soil a garment with dust.

Our wonted ornaments now soiled and stained.
--Milton.

2. To stain or mar, as with infamy or disgrace; to tarnish;
to sully. --Shak.

Syn: To foul; dirt; dirty; begrime; bemire; bespatter;
besmear; daub; bedaub; stain; tarnish; sully; defile;
pollute.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

soil
n 1: the state of being covered with unclean things [syn: {dirt},
{filth}, {grime}, {stain}, {grease}, {grunge}]
2: the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and
disintegrated rock [syn: {dirt}]
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); "the land had never been plowed"; "good
agricultural soil" [syn: {land}, {ground}]
v : make soiled, filthy, or dirty; "don't soil your clothes when
you play outside!" [syn: {dirty}, {begrime}, {grime}, {colly},
{bemire}] [ant: {clean}]


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