noun pl. substrata or substratums
- a part, substance, element, etc. which lies beneath and supports another; foundation
- any basis or foundation
- substrate (senses & )
- loosely subsoil
- Bot. the base or material to which a plant is attached and from which it gets nutriment
- 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.
- Photog. a thin layer of material on a photographic film or plate serving as a base for the sensitive emulsion
- Zool. the ground or other solid material on which an animal moves or is fastened
Origin:
ModL < L, neut. of substratus, pp. of substernere, to strew beneath < sub-, under + sternere, to spread out < IE base *ster- > strew