native soil

plural native soils

1. idiomaticThe country or geographical region where one was born or which one considers to be one's true homeland.

   Nawaz Sharif, two-time Prime Minister of Pakistan, had planned a triumphant return to his native soil nearly seven years after choosing exile.

   2007 September 10, Aryn Baker, “A Musharraf Foe's Aborted Return”, in Time

   2 more examples

   [T]hey were peculiarly honored by the unexpected presence in their midst "of that famous son of the South, Colonel Starbottle," who had lately returned to his native soil from his adopted home in California.

   1892, Bret Harte, “Colonel Starbottle's Client”, in Colonel Starbottle's Client and Other Stories

   "Look back, Peter," he said, "and you can get your last glimpse of your native soil. The black line that just shows under the sky is Sandy Hook."

   1919, Joseph A. Altsheler, chapter 4, in The Sun Of Quebec

2. idiomaticusuallyplants; things; ideas; plants; things; ideasSource, place of origin, principal location, or natural habitat.

   What a strange idea—what a needless labor—to construct artificial ruins in Rome, the native soil of ruin!

   1860, Nathaniel Hawthorne, chapter 8, in The Marble Faun

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   [B]ut who else from seeing a plant in an herbarium can imagine its appearance when growing in its native soil?

   1839, Robert FitzRoy, Phillip Parker King, Charles Darwin, chapter XX, in Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty’s Ships Adventure and Beagle, between the Years 1826 and 1836, […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC

   An innate passion for all that was thus distinguished and exceptional made her revere Hillbridge as the native soil of those intellectual amenities that were of such difficult growth in the thin air of East Onondaigua.

   1901, Edith Wharton, “The Recovery”, in Crucial Instances

   Synonyms: native ground