substratum

[ suhb-strey-tuhm, -strat-uhm, suhb-strey-tuhm, -strat-uhm ]

noun

, plural sub·stra·ta [suhb, -strey-t, uh, -strat-, uh, -suhb-, strey, -t, uh, -, strat, -, uh], sub·stra·tums.

1. something that is spread or laid under something else; a stratum or layer lying under another.
2. something that underlies or serves as a basis or foundation.
3. Agriculture. the subsoil.
4. Biology. the base or material on which a nonmotile organism lives or grows.
5. Philosophy. substance, considered as that which supports accidents or attributes.
6. Photography. a layer of material placed directly on a film or plate as a foundation for the sensitive emulsion.
7. 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.

substratum

/ sʌbˈstrɑːtəm; -ˈstreɪ- /

noun

1. any layer or stratum lying underneath another
2. a basis or foundation; groundwork
3. the nonliving material on which an animal or plant grows or lives
4. geology
   1. the solid rock underlying soils, gravels, etc; bedrock
   2. the surface to which a fixed organism is attached
5. sociol any of several subdivisions or grades within a stratum
6. photog a binding layer by which an emulsion is made to adhere to a glass or film base Sometimes shortened tosub
7. philosophy substance considered as that in which attributes and accidents inhere
8. 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 contact Compare superstratum

substratum

/ sŭb′strā′təm,-străt′əm /

, Plural substrata

1. An underlying layer or stratum.
2. A surface on which an organism grows or is attached; a substrate.

Derived Forms

• subˈstrative, adjective

Other Words From

• sub·strative sub·stratal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of substratum¹

From New Latin, dating back to 1625–35; sub-, stratum

Word History and Origins

Origin of substratum¹

C17: from New Latin, from Latin substrātus strewn beneath, from substernere to spread under, from sub- + sternere to spread

Example Sentences

It “supports diverse biological communities representative of hard substratum in deep water” according to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

From The Guardian

They are retiring and quirky at the same time, emerging from the substratum of shyness on which Enigmatic Andy the Superstar was constructed.

From Washington Post

In 2018, it’s easy to dismiss the concept of Queer Eye as reductive: five gay men, possessing expertise across the fashion and lifestyle substratum, make over a hapless straight man.

From The Guardian

Even here, though, abyssal tuba notes exposed a sonic substratum.

From The New Yorker

For Roth, Judaism was substratum, a world to which he always returned but was never afraid to leave, even if only for Manhattan or the Berkshires.

From Los Angeles Times