a dark brown or black colloidal mass of partially decomposed organic matter in the soil. It improves the fertility and water retention of the soil and is therefore important for plant growth
See note at hummus
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
hu•mus /ˈhyuməs/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Agriculturethe dark material in soils, produced by the decay of vegetable or animal matter.
hu•mus
(hyo̅o̅′məs or, often, yo̅o̅′-),USA pronunciation n.
- the dark organic material in soils, produced by the decomposition of vegetable or animal matter and essential to the fertility of the earth.
- Latin: earth, ground; akin to Greek chamaí on the ground, chthó̄n earth, Sanskrit kṣam-, Lithuanian žémė, Serbo-Croatian zèmlja ground, earth; compare chameleon, chthonian, zemstvo; see Homo
- 1790–1800
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
See note at hummus
'humus' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
chameleon
- chernozem
- chthonian
- exhume
- homo
- humble
- humic
- humicolous
- humification
- humified
- humify
- hummus
- inhume
- mool
- muck
- pentosan
- posthumous
- soil
- transhumance
- zemstvo