Webster's English Dictionary

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soil

1. soil \'so.i(*)l\ vb [ME soilen, fr. OF soiller to wallow, soil, fr. soil 
   pigsty,]prob. fr. L suile, fr. sus pig - more at SOW 1: to stain or defile 
   morally : CORRUPT, POLLUTE  2: to make unclean esp. superficially : DIRTY  
   3: to blacken or besmirch (as a person's reputation) : SULLY, D ISGRACE : 
   to become soiled or dirty 
2. soil n 1a: SOILAGE, STAIN  1b: moral defilement : CORRUPTION  2: 
   something that soils or pollutes : as  2a: foreign matter : REFUSE  2b: 
   SEWAGE  2c: DUNG, EXCREMENT 
3. soil n [ME, fr. AF, fr. L solium seat; prob. akin to L sede-re to sit -m 
   more at SIT 1: firm land : EARTH  2: the upper layer of earth that may be 
   dug or plowed; specif : the  loose surface material of the earth in which 
   plants grow 3: COUNTRY, LAND  4: the agricultural life or calling  5: a 
   medium in which something takes hold and develops 
4. soil vt [origin unknown] : to feed (livestock) in the barn or an 
   enclosure with fresh grass or gre en food; also : to purge (livestock) by 
   feeding on green food