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humus

humus, topsoil

noun OO-moos Rare
Animals & Nature Environment

Origin: Latin humus (ground, earth)

Also means

fertile soil layer

Usage Note

Humus is invariable — it does not change in the plural and takes a masculine article: il humus (though l'humus is more natural before the vowel). In Italian it is used both in the agronomic sense (decomposed organic matter) and metaphorically: l'humus culturale (the cultural soil/breeding ground). Do not confuse with the food hummus (hummus from Arabic), though both spellings coexist in informal Italian writing.

Examples

"L'humus ricco rende il terreno fertile."

Natural Translation

Rich humus makes the soil fertile.

Literal Translation

The-humus rich makes the soil fertile.

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