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.

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

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?

3. Dung; fæces; compost; manure; as, night soil.

Improve land by dung and other sort of soils.

Soil pipe, a pipe or drain for carrying off night 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Soil (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Soiled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Soiling.] [OF. saoler, saouler, to satiate, F. soûler, 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.