subsoil

S1U1B3S1O1I1L1
/ˈsʌbsɔɪl/

noun

The layer of earth that is below the topsoil.

Similar
undersoil
OriginEnglish soil ← Latin sub- ← Proto-Italic *supo →
UncommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

nounsubsoil (countable and uncountable, plural subsoils)

plural subsoils

  1. countableuncountableThe layer of earth that is below the topsoil.

    In the few areas underlain by horizontally bedded limestone, the surface soil is dark gray to black and peatlike, and the subsoil gray and marllike.

    1954, Soil survey of Wise County, Virginia, page 28
verbsubsoil (third-person singular simple present subsoils, present participle subsoiling, simple past and past participle subsoiled)

present singular third person subsoils · participle present subsoiling · participle past subsoiled · past subsoiled

  1. transitiveTo turn up the subsoil of.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe layer of soil between the topsoil and bedrock

Similar
undersoil
Broader
soildirt
Also see
undersoil

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*upó
  2. Proto-Italic*supo
  3. Latinsub
  4. Latinsub-
  5. Englishsub-
  6. Englishsoil
  7. Englishsubsoil

From sub- + soil.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan subsòl
  • subsòllayer of earth below topsoil
Chinese Mandarin 底土
  • 底土layer of earth below topsoil
French sous-sol
  • sous-sollayer of earth below topsoil
German Unterboden
  • Unterbodenlayer of earth below topsoil
Irish gaíon, fo-ithir
  • gaíonlayer of earth below topsoil
  • fo-ithirlayer of earth below topsoil
Italian sottosuolo
  • sottosuololayer of earth below topsoil
Polish podglebie
  • podglebielayer of earth below topsoil
Russian матери́к, не́дра
  • матери́к (materík)layer of earth below topsoil
  • не́дра (nédra)layer of earth below topsoil
Scottish Gaelic fo-ùir
  • fo-ùirlayer of earth below topsoil
Spanish subsuelo
  • subsuelolayer of earth below topsoil
Swedish alv
  • alvlayer of earth below topsoil
Tagalog kubsulip
  • kubsuliplayer of earth below topsoil
Welsh isbridd
  • isbriddlayer of earth below topsoil
Cite this entry
APA

subsoil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsoil

MLA

“subsoil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsoil. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subsoil,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsoil.

Source: subsoil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.