subsoil B2 Topic:Plants & Agriculture US /ˈsʌbsɔɪl/ UK /ˈsʌbsɔɪl/ See IPA manual Freq #113634 Meanings 1 noun the layer of soil beneath the topsoil and above the underlying rock or parent material The roots reached through the dark topsoil into a dense clay subsoil. 2 verb to loosen or cultivate soil deeply below the normal plowing depth The farmer subsoiled the compacted field before planting the orchard. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the layer of soil beneath... undersoil 2 verb · to loosen or cultivate soil... deep-plowdeep-rip ↔ Opposites topsoil Word family Derived forms subsoilersubsoiling Related forms topsoilbedrocksoil horizonclay Etymology A compound of sub-, 'under,' + soil. The noun names the earth directly below surface soil; the agricultural verb developed for working or breaking up that deeper layer. Topics Plants & Agriculture External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # subsoil **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** noun, verb **IPA (US):** /ˈsʌbsɔɪl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈsʌbsɔɪl/ **Frequency rank:** 113634 ## Meanings 1. the layer of soil beneath the topsoil and above the underlying rock or parent material 2. to loosen or cultivate soil deeply below the normal plowing depth ## Examples - The roots reached through the dark topsoil into a dense clay subsoil. - The farmer subsoiled the compacted field before planting the orchard. ## Synonyms - undersoil ## Antonyms - topsoil ## Derived Forms - subsoiler - subsoiling ## Related Forms - topsoil - bedrock - soil horizon - clay ## Etymology A compound of sub-, 'under,' + soil. The noun names the earth directly below surface soil; the agricultural verb developed for working or breaking up that deeper layer. ## Topics - Plants & Agriculture markdown