substrata

Variant of substratum

substratum definition

sub·stra·tum (sub′strāt′əm, -strat′-)

noun pl. substrata -·ta (-ə) or substratums -·tums

    1. a part, substance, element, etc. which lies beneath and supports another; foundation
    2. any basis or foundation
  2. substrate (senses & )
  3. loosely subsoil
  4. Bot. the base or material to which a plant is attached and from which it gets nutriment
  5. Metaphysics substance, with reference to the events or causes which act upon it, the changes occurring in it, the attributes that inhere in it, etc.
  6. Photog. a thin layer of material on a photographic film or plate serving as a base for the sensitive emulsion
  7. Zool. the ground or other solid material on which an animal moves or is fastened

Etymology: ModL < L, neut. of substratus, pp. of substernere, to strew beneath < sub-, under + sternere, to spread out < IE base *ster- > strew

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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