[ suhb-strey-tuh m, -strat-uh m, suhb-strey-tuh m, -strat-uh m ]
/ ˈsʌbˌstreɪ təm, -ˌstræt əm, sʌbˈstreɪ təm, -ˈstræt əm /
noun, plural sub·stra·ta [suhb-strey-tuh, -strat-uh, -suhb-strey-tuh, -strat-uh] /ˈsʌbˌstreɪ tə, -ˌstræt ə, -sʌbˈstreɪ tə, -ˈstræt ə/, sub·stra·tums.
something that is spread or laid under something else; a stratum or layer lying under another.
something that underlies or serves as a basis or foundation.
Agriculture. the subsoil.
Biology. the base or material on which a nonmotile organism lives or grows.
Philosophy. substance, considered as that which supports accidents or attributes.
Photography. a layer of material placed directly on a film or plate as a foundation for the sensitive emulsion.
Historical Linguistics. a set of features of a language traceable to the influence of an earlier language that it has replaced, especially among a subjugated population: The French word for 80, quatre-vingts (“four twenties”), may reflect a Celtic substratum.
Related formssub·stra·tive, sub·stra·tal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for substratal
/ (sʌbˈstrɑːtəm, -ˈstreɪ-) /
noun plural -strata (-ˈstrɑːtə, -ˈstreɪtə)
any layer or stratum lying underneath another
a basis or foundation; groundwork
the nonliving material on which an animal or plant grows or lives
- the solid rock underlying soils, gravels, etc; bedrock
- the surface to which a fixed organism is attached
sociol any of several subdivisions or grades within a stratum
photog a binding layer by which an emulsion is made to adhere to a glass or film baseSometimes shortened to: sub
philosophy substance considered as that in which attributes and accidents inhere
linguistics the language of an indigenous population when replaced by the language of a conquering or colonizing population, esp as it influences the form of the dominant language or of any mixed languages arising from their contactCompare superstratum (def. 2)
Derived Formssubstrative or substratal, adjective
Word Origin for substratum
C17: from New Latin, from Latin substrātus strewn beneath, from substernere to spread under, from sub- + sternere to spread
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for substratal
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for substratal
[ sŭb′strā′təm, -străt′əm ]
Plural substrata substratums
An underlying layer or stratum.
A surface on which an organism grows or is attached; a substrate.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.