topsoil
pronunciation
How to pronounce topsoil in British English:
UK [ˈtɒpsɔɪl]
How to pronounce topsoil in American English:
US [ˈtɑpsɔɪl]
-
- Noun:
- the layer of soil on the surface
Word Origin
- topsoil (n.)
- also top-soil, 1789, from top (adj.) + soil (n.).
Example
- 1. The agriculture ministry now says removing that contaminated topsoil may be effective .
- 2. When city council finally decided to build housing on the section , gardeners and their friends moved an acre of topsoil to the remaining portion of the garden .
- 3. Koriyama officials contacted nuclear experts and were told that removing a layer of topsoil from school grounds could reduce radiation levels , because cesium tends to collect in the top layers .
- 4. If just four centimeters of topsoil is scraped off the contaminated farmland , the ministry says , it would create 3.3 million tons of waste .
- 5. A new cleanup law doesn 't take effect until january . Cities across fukushima prefecture are scraping contaminated topsoil off school grounds and parks , but tokyo hasn 't yet decided where to store the tainted material .