SOIL, verb transitive 1. To make dirty on the surface; to foul; to dirt; to stain; to defile; to tarnish; to sull; as, to soil a garment with dust. Out wonted ornaments now soil'd and stain'd. 2. To cover or tinge with any thing extraneous; as, to soil the earth with blood. 3. To dung; to manure. TO soil A HORSE, is to purge him by giving him fresh grass. TO soil A CATTLE, in husbandry, is to feed them with grass daily mowed for them, instead of pasturing them. SOIL, noun 1. Dirt; and foul matter upon another substance; foulness; apot. 2. Stain; tarnish. A lady's honor will not bear a soil 3. The upper stratum of the earth; the mold, or that compound substance with furnishes nutriment to plants, or which is particulary adapted to support and nourish them. 4. Land; country. We love our native soil 5. Dung; compost. Improve land by dung and other sort of soils. TO TAKE SOIL, to run into the water, as a deer when pursued.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI