释义 |
stratum \ˈstrā]d.əm, ]təm, -ra] also -rä] or -rȧ]\ noun (plural strata \-d.ə, -tə\ ; also stratums) Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, spread, bed, from neuter of stratus, past participle of sternere to strew, spread out, lay flat; akin to Greek stratos (encamped) army, Middle Irish srath wide valley — more at strew 1. : a bed or layer artificially made : a coat of some material spread uniformly over a surface or upon another coat : layer < the chaff, packed into a whole bay of the barn, was in strata — Adrian Bell > 2. a. : a tabular mass or thin sheet of sedimentary rock or earth of one kind formed by natural causes and made up usually of a series of layers lying between beds of other kinds b. : bed c. : a region of the sea or atmosphere that is analogous to a stratum of the earth < winds tend to drive the surface water away … to be replaced by cold water upwelling from deeper strata — R.E.Coker > d. : a layer of tissue; especially : one of several superimposed membranes that go to make up an organ e. : a layer in which archaeological material (as artifacts, skeletons and dwelling remains) is found on excavation f. : a vertical layer of vegetation (as of herbs, shrubs, or trees) in a plant community 3. a. : a part of a historical or sociological series representing a period or a stage of development < the technique of skin dressing … belongs to an older stratum of Plains culture than the buffalo-skin tipi — Edward Sapir > b. : a socioeconomic level of society comprised of persons of the same or similar status especially with regard to education or culture — compare class < wide strata of the intellectuals, professionals, and bureaucrats were penetrated ideologically — James Burnham > < the upper administrative strata of a typical large factory — E.H.Jacobson & S.E.Seashore > 4. : one of a series of layers, levels, or gradations in an ordered system < filtered down to him through different strata of thought — V.L.Parrington > < the whole subject of colds is overlaid by stratum upon stratum of folklore, superstition, and pseudoscience — C.H.Andrewes > < the more controversial mental strata lying between scientific, philosophical, and theological thought — Times Literary Supplement > < the fairy-tale stratum of experience — F.R.Leavis > 5. : one of the divisions into which a population is divided in statistical stratification < the counties of the United States may be grouped into 30 or more strata in terms of their population density — L.W.Doob > 6. : a group of linguistic phenomena characterized by the possession of common features (as of age or origin) |