Soil

Soiling
Photo credit: V. Vergès-Belmin

Description

1) A mixture of inorganic and organic compounds produced by weathered rocks and decayed vegetation. Soil forms the top layer of the earth's surface and provides nutrients and support for growing vegetation. See Humus, Mud, Sand, chika, laterite, Loam, and Zaccab.

2) Any foreign matter, such as a stain, mark, dust, grime, or residue on a textile, paper, or other type material.

Soiling
Photo credit: J.M. Vallet

Synonyms and Related Terms

1) sol (Fr.); dirt; solo (Port.); suelo (Esp.)

2) sujidade (Port.)

Resources and Citations

• ICOMOS-ISCS: Illustrated glossary on stone deterioration patterns

• ASTM, "Standard Terminology Relating to Paint, Varnish, Lacquer and Related Products", Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Section 6, Paints, Related Coatings and Aromatics, ASTM, D16, 7-Jan, Jul-96

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000