English → Latin
“soil” in Latin
terradry land (as opposed to watery parts of the Earth); ground, floor (the surface of the land); earth, soil, dirt, clay, clsōlusalone, sole, only, by oneself with no others around; solitary, uninhabitedagerfield; acre; land; estate; park; territoryingeniuminnate or natural quality, natural character; nature; disposition, temper, inclination; intelligence, natural capacitystercusdung, excrement, ordureexcrēmentumrefuse, rubbish; bodily excrementcontāminōto touch, bring into contact; to corrupt, contaminate, defile, stain, polluteturpōto make ugly; disfigure, deform, mar; defile, pollute; to dishonor, disgracemaculōto stain, make spotted; to defile, pollute; to dishonorspurcōto soil, infect; to deprave
The English word soil itself goes back to Latin solum, through solium.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
soil
Ground, earth, terra, (terrae) solum (surface of the ground): ager; soli natura, ingenium; solum (in respect of its natural quality and its produce). A rich soil, solum pingue. A thin soil, solum macrum et exile. A loose or close, moist or dry soil, solum solutum vel spissum, humidum vel siccum.
Dung, stercus (of men and animals): excrementum, usually plur., excrementa, -orum, neuter (of men and animals; post-Augustan, but classical).
A spot, stain, Vid.
soil v.
aliquid aliqua re inquinare (to cover with dirt; the strongest term): contaminare (to soil more slightly, especially by use or frequent handling): turpare (to take off the freshness of a thing; ☞ not deturpare): maculare (with spots): spurcare: conspurcare (so as to make foul or loathsome). To soil one’s fingers (figuratively), se sceleribus contaminare (Cic.); flagitiis se dedecorare (Sall.); contaminare, inquinare, polluere (Cic.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for soil?
- The usual Latin words for “soil” are terra, sōlus, ager; also ingenium, stercus, excrēmentum. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.