What does “stratum” mean?
- 1
nounone layer of rock or soil lying between others
Fossils were found in a stratum of limestone.
- 2
nouna social class or level in society
The policy mainly helps the lowest stratum of society.
Stratum at a glance
- Part of speech
- noun
- CEFR level
- C2 (proficient)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈstreɪtəm/ · STRAY-tum
- Forms
- strata
How to use “stratum” correctly
The plural is “strata”, not “stratums”. A common mistake is to treat “strata” as singular.
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- stratify
- stratification
“stratum” is on these word lists
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