1soil 
/ˈsojəl/ noun
plural soils /ˈsojəl/ noun 1 : the top layer of earth in which plants grow [noncount] ▪ This kind of plant grows well in moist soil. ▪ The soil in this area is very fertile/sandy. ▪ Cleaning up contaminated soil [=soil that has harmful chemicals in it] can be very costly. [count] ▪ Certain plants cannot live in poorly drained soils. — see also potting soil 2 [noncount] formal + literary : the land of a particular country
▪ They have returned to their native soil. [=the place they are originally from] ▪ I had never set foot on Japanese/Italian soil before. [=I had never been to Japan/Italy before] 3 [noncount] : a place where something begins or develops
▪ Poor neighborhoods can be fertile soil for crime. [=there is often a lot of crime in poor neighborhoods] 4 the soil literary : farming as a way of making a living
▪ Her ancestors had felt a closeness to the soil.
▪ They have returned to their native soil. [=the place they are originally from] ▪ I had never set foot on Japanese/Italian soil before. [=I had never been to Japan/Italy before]
▪ Poor neighborhoods can be fertile soil for crime. [=there is often a lot of crime in poor neighborhoods]
▪ Her ancestors had felt a closeness to the soil.
