soil
Loading your saved state.
soil
The top layer of the earth's surface, consisting of earth, sand, stones, and organic material; the ground.
Für das Fundament des Hauses musste viel Erdreich abgetragen werden.
A lot of soil had to be removed for the foundation of the house.
The word is made up of 'Erde' (earth/soil) and 'Reich' (realm). Here, 'Reich' means something like 'Bereich' (area) or 'Gesamtheit' (totality). So 'Erdreich' (soil) is literally the 'area of the earth' beneath our feet.
Die Archäologen fanden im Erdreich alte Münzen.
The archaeologists found old coins in the soil.
'Erdreich' (soil) is a typical word in contexts such as construction work, gardening, geology, or archaeology. It is often used when talking about earth as a material that is moved or examined.
Der Gärtner lockerte das Erdreich, bevor er die Blumen pflanzte.
The gardener loosened the soil before planting the flowers.
Common verbs used in connection with 'Erdreich' (soil) describe what you do with it. The most important are 'Erdreich abtragen' (to remove soil), 'ausheben' (to dig out / excavate), and 'lockern' (to loosen).
Für den Pool mussten wir eine große Menge Erdreich ausheben.
For the pool, we had to excavate a large amount of soil.
floor / ground
Boden and Erdreich can both refer to the natural layer in which plants grow. Boden is the more general word and can describe this layer as a location or site. Erdreich focuses more on the actual mass of earth, sand, stones, and organic material.
Für das Pflanzloch hebt die Gärtnerin etwas Erdreich aus.
The gardener digs out some soil for the planting hole.
Vor dem Pflanzen prüft die Gärtnerin den Boden an diesem Standort.
Before planting, the gardener checks the soil at this site.
