From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Soil \Soil\ (soil), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Soiled (soild); 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.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
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.
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2. Land; country.
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Must I thus leave thee, Paradise? thus leave
Thee, native soil? --Milton.
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3. Dung; faeces; compost; manure; as, night soil.
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Improve land by dung and other sort of soils.
--Mortimer.
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Soil pipe, a pipe or drain for carrying off night soil.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
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.
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Our wonted ornaments now soiled and stained.
--Milton.
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2. To stain or mar, as with infamy or disgrace; to tarnish;
to sully. --Shak.
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Syn: To foul; dirt; dirty; begrime; bemire; bespatter;
besmear; daub; bedaub; stain; tarnish; sully; defile;
pollute.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Soil \Soil\, v. t.
To enrich with soil or muck; to manure.
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Men . . . soil their ground, not that they love the
dirt, but that they expect a crop. --South.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Soil \Soil\, v. i.
To become soiled; as, light colors soil sooner than dark
ones.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Soil \Soil\, n. [See Soil to make dirty, Soil a miry place.]
That which soils or pollutes; a soiled place; spot; stain.
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A lady's honor . . . will not bear a soil. --Dryden.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
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.
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As deer, being stuck, fly through many soils,
Yet still the shaft sticks fast. --Marston.
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To take soil, to run into the mire or water; hence, to take
refuge or shelter.
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O, sir, have you taken soil here? It is well a man
may reach you after three hours' running. --B.
Jonson.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
soil
n 1: the state of being covered with unclean things [syn:
dirt, filth, grime, soil, stain, grease,
grunge]
2: the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and
disintegrated rock [syn: soil, 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, soil]
4: the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign
state; "American troops were stationed on Japanese soil"
[syn: territory, soil]
v 1: make soiled, filthy, or dirty; "don't soil your clothes
when you play outside!" [syn: dirty, soil, begrime,
grime, colly, bemire] [ant: clean, make clean]