humus

Where does the word "humus" come from? It comes from Latin humus, and was adopted directly into English (1790s).

Humus’s story begins in Latin: humus meant “earth.” Earth, ground; 'humble', from 'humilis', low, and perhaps 'human', earthly, come from the same root. It reached English by 1790s as humus. Taken into soil science for decayed plant matter. Today, humus means the dark organic part of soil.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient humus "earth", earth, ground; 'humble', from 'humilis', low, and perhaps 'human', earthly, come from the same root.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1790s humus "organic soil", taken into soil science for decayed plant matter.