sòls

Sòls is the plural form of the Catalan noun sòl, which denotes ground or floor and, in agricultural contexts, soil. In everyday use, sòl can refer to the solid surface on which we stand, as in el sòl de la casa (the floor) or the general surface of the Earth, and it can also mean the natural medium that supports plant life.

The singular sòl carries a grave accent to indicate final-syllable stress, and its plural is sòls. The accent helps distinguish it from sol, which in Catalan means sun. The two words are related historically but belong to different senses in contemporary usage.

Two main senses are attached to the word. First, as floor or surface, sòl refers to the hard, flat surface of a room or the ground outdoors. Second, as soil, it refers to the natural medium in which plants grow. In this sense, the word encompasses properties such as texture (sòl arenós, sòl argilós), structure, moisture, drainage, organic matter, and fertility, as well as chemical aspects like pH and nutrient availability. Management considerations include crop suitability, erosion control, and soil conservation.

In Catalan, related terms and phrases distinguish the physical surface from the soil used in agriculture, with terra or sòl used in broader or different contexts. Sòls can be described by type (sòls arenós, sòls argilós) and by land use, reflecting regional variations in language and practice across Catalan-speaking areas.

See also: soil science, soil texture, soil fertility, Catalan orthography.