Ground vs Soil - What's the difference?

In uncountable terms the difference between ground and soil

is that ground is soil, earth while soil is the unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the earth that has been subjected to and shows effects of genetic and environmental factors of: climate (including water and temperature effects), and macro- and microorganisms, conditioned by relief, acting on parent material over a period of time. A product-soil differs from the material from which it is derived in many physical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties and characteristics.

In transitive terms the difference between ground and soil

is that ground is to forbid (an aircraft or pilot) to fly while soil is to make dirty.

In intransitive terms the difference between ground and soil

is that ground is to run aground; to strike the bottom and remain fixed while soil is to become dirty or soiled.

As an adjective ground

is crushed, or reduced to small particles.

ground

English

(wikipedia ground)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) grund , from (etyl) .

Alternative forms

* (contraction used in electronics)

Noun

(senseid)(uncountable) The surface of the Earth, as opposed to the sky or water or underground.

* , chapter=23

, title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=If the afternoon was fine they strolled together in the park, very slowly, and with pauses to draw breath wherever the ground sloped upward. The slightest effort made the patient cough.}}

Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. […] Frills, ruffles, flounces, lace, complicated seams and gores: not only did they sweep the ground and have to be held up in one hand elegantly as you walked along, but they had little capes or coats or feather boas.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-08, volume=407, issue=8839, page=52, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= The new masters and commanders , passage=From the ground , Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts.}}

(uncountable) Terrain.

(uncountable) Soil, earth.

(countable) The bottom of a body of water.

Basis, foundation, groundwork, legwork.

Background, context, framework, surroundings.

* '>citation

The plain surface upon which the figures of an artistic composition are set.

crimson flowers on a white ground

In sculpture, a flat surface upon which figures are raised in relief.

In point lace, the net of small meshes upon which the embroidered pattern is applied.

Brussels ground

In etching, a gummy substance spread over the surface of a metal to be etched, to prevent the acid from eating except where an opening is made by the needle.

(architecture, mostly, in the plural) One of the pieces of wood, flush with the plastering, to which mouldings etc. are attached.

Grounds are usually put up first and the plastering floated flush with them.

(countable) A soccer stadium.

(electricity, Canadian, and, US) An electrical conductor connected to the ground.

(electricity, Canadian, and, US) A level of electrical potential used as a zero reference.

(countable, cricket) The area of grass on which a match is played (a cricket field); the entire arena in which it is played; the part of the field behind a batsman's popping crease where he can not be run out (hence to make one's ground ).

(music) A composition in which the bass, consisting of a few bars of independent notes, is continually repeated to a varying melody.

(music) The tune on which descants are raised; the plain song.

* 1592 , (William Shakespeare), '', act III, scene vii, in: ''The Works of Shake?pear V (1726), page 149:

Buck''&91;] The Mayor is here at hand; pretend ?ome fear, // Be not you ?poke with, but by mighty ?uit; // And look you get a prayer-book in your hand, // And ?tand between two churchmen, good my lord, // For on that ground I’ll build a holy de?cant: // And be not ea?ily won to our reque?ts: // Play the maid’s part, ?till an?wer nay, and take it.

The pit of a theatre.

(Ben Jonson)

Synonyms

* (electricity) earth (British)

Derived terms

* aboveground / above ground * air-to-ground * aground * break ground * breeding ground * burial ground * common ground * cricket ground * cumber ground / cumber-ground / cumberground * dead ground * ear to the ground * facts on the ground * fairground * figure and ground * from the ground up * gain ground * get off the ground * give ground * gill-over-the-ground * go to ground * ground bait * ground ball * ground bass * ground beetle * ground berry * ground-breaker * ground-breaking * ground cable * ground cedar * ground cherry * ground cloth * ground clutter * ground control * ground cover * ground effect * ground fault * ground fir * ground fire * ground fish * ground floor * ground forces * ground game * ground glass * ground hemlock * ground hog / ground-hog / groundhog * ground itch * ground ivy * ground lamella * ground laurel * ground level * ground loop * groundly * ground meristem * ground noise * ground offensive * ground out * ground pangolin * ground pine * ground plan * ground plane * ground plate * ground plum * ground pounder * ground proximity warning system * ground rattlesnake * ground rent * ground robin * ground roller * ground rule / ground-rule * ground-shaker * ground shark * ground sloth * groundsman * ground snake * ground speed * ground spider * ground squirrel * ground state * ground stroke * ground substance * ground swell * ground tackle * ground tissue * ground-to-air * ground truth * ground water * ground wave * ground wire * ground zero * groundwork * high ground / moral high ground * hit the ground running * home ground * kiss the ground someone walks on * know one's ass from a hole in the ground * lose ground * middle ground * neutral ground * off the ground * on the ground * parade ground * picnic ground * pleasure ground * proving ground * run into the ground * school ground * solid ground / on solid ground * stamping ground * stand one's ground * stomping ground * teeing ground * testing ground * thick on the ground * thin on the ground * underground * vantage ground * (ground)

Verb

(en verb)
To connect (an electrical conductor or device) to a ground.

To punish, especially a child or teenager, by forcing him/her to stay at home and/or give up certain privileges.

If you don't clean your room, I'll be forced to ground you.

Carla, you are grounded until further notice for lying to us about where you were yesterday.

My kids are currently grounded from television.

To forbid (an aircraft or pilot) to fly.

Because of the bad weather, all flights were grounded .

To give a basic education in a particular subject; to instruct in elements or first principles.

Jim was grounded in maths.

(baseball) to hit a ground ball; to hit a ground ball which results in an out. Compare fly (verb(regular)) and line (verb).

Jones grounded to second in his last at-bat.

(cricket) (of a batsman) to place his bat, or part of his body, on the ground behind the popping crease so as not to be run out

To run aground; to strike the bottom and remain fixed.

The ship grounded on the bar.

To found; to fix or set, as on a foundation, reason, or principle; to furnish a ground for; to fix firmly.

* Bible, Ephesians iii. 17

being rooted and grounded in love

* Sir W. Hamilton

So far from warranting any inference to the existence of a God, would, on the contrary, ground even an argument to his negation.

(fine arts) To cover with a ground, as a copper plate for etching, or as paper or other materials with a uniform tint as a preparation for ornament.

Etymology 2

* See also milled.

Verb

(head)
(grind)

I ground the coffee up nicely.

Adjective

(-)
Crushed, or reduced to small particles.

ground mustard seed

Processed by grinding.

lenses of ground glass

Synonyms

* milled

Derived terms

* ground beef * ground pepper * stone-ground

Statistics

* English irregular past participles English irregular simple past forms 1000 English basic words

soil
English
(wikipedia soil)
Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), (m), . See also (l), (l).
Noun

(uncountable) A mixture of sand and organic material, used to support plant growth.

(uncountable) The unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the immediate surface of the earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants.

(uncountable) The unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the earth that has been subjected to and shows effects of genetic and environmental factors of: climate (including water and temperature effects), and macro- and microorganisms, conditioned by relief, acting on parent material over a period of time. A product-soil differs from the material from which it is derived in many physical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties and characteristics.

Country or territory.

The refugees returned to their native soil .

That which soils or pollutes; a stain.

* Dryden

A lady's honour will not bear a soil .

A marshy or miry place to which a hunted boar resorts for refuge; hence, a wet place, stream, or tract of water, sought for by other game, as deer.

* Marston

As deer, being stuck, fly through many soils , / Yet still the shaft sticks fast.

Dung; compost; manure.

night soil

* Mortimer

Improve land by dung and other sort of soils .

Synonyms
* dirt (US) , earth
Derived terms
* home soil * native soil * soilless * soil pipe * topsoil
Related terms
* solum
See also
*
Etymology 2
From (etyl) (m), (m), .
Verb
(en verb)
To make dirty.

* Milton

Our wonted ornaments now soiled and stained.

To become dirty or soiled.

Light colours soil sooner than dark ones.

(figurative) To stain or mar, as with infamy or disgrace; to tarnish; to sully.

(Shakespeare)

(reflexive) To dirty one's clothing by accidentally defecating while clothed.

To make invalid, to ruin.

To enrich with soil or muck; to manure.

* South

Men soil their ground, not that they love the dirt, but that they expect a crop.

Synonyms
* (to make dirty) smirch, besmirch, dirty
Derived terms
* soil oneself
Noun
(en noun)
(uncountable, euphemistic) Faeces or urine etc. when found on clothes.

(countable, medicine) A bag containing soiled items.

Synonyms
* dirt
Etymology 3
From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) (m), .
Noun
(en noun)
A wet or marshy place in which a boar or other such game seeks refuge when hunted.

Etymology 4
(etyl) saoler, .
Verb
(en verb)
To feed, as cattle or horses, in the barn or an enclosure, with fresh grass or green food cut for them, instead of sending them out to pasture; hence (such food having the effect of purging them), to purge by feeding on green food.

to soil a horse
(Webster 1913)
Anagrams
* (l), (l), (l) ----