Soil

Chamber's Twientieth Century Dictionary · 1908 · p. 100

soil, n. the ground: the mould on the surface of the earth which nourishes plants: country.— adj. Soil′-bound , attached to the soil.— n. Soil′-cap , the covering of soil on the bed-rock.— adj. Soiled , having soil. [O. Fr. soel , suel , sueil —Low L. sole a , soil, ground, L. sole a , sole, allied to L. solum , ground, whence Fr. sol , soil.]