What does stratum mean?
Word: Stratum
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Stratum means one of the bands of rock or soil that lie one above another in the ground, like the stripes you can see in a cliff face.
How do you spell stratum?
Syllables: stra - tum
Tricky part: The word comes from Latin, so the plural is strata, not stratums. Some pupils also add an n to the end, as if it were autumn or column.
Watch out for: stratem, stratumn
Memory tip: Pair it with curriculum: one curriculum, two curricula; one stratum, two strata. Both keep the Latin um for one and a for more than one.
Stratum in a sentence
Example 1: In the quarry wall, each stratum of rock is a slightly different shade of brown.
Example 2: The geologist pointed to a thin grey stratum where tiny shells had been found.
Example 3: Dig deep enough in that field and you will reach a stratum of heavy clay.
Fun Fact
The English word street comes from the same Latin source: the Romans called a paved road via strata.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
On the trip to the coast, Aarav sketched each strattum of the cliff and marked the kind of rock it held.
a) sketched
b) coast
c) strattum
d) marked
Show answer
c) strattum. Only one t sits between the a and the u; the other three words are spelt correctly.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
stratum
a) canyon
b) crater
c) boulder
d) layer
Show answer
d) layer. A stratum is one sheet in a stack of rock, which is exactly what a layer is.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) erosion
b) glacier
c) stratum
d) sedimant
Show answer
d) sedimant. Sediment ends in ment, the same ending as movement and payment.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A geologist studying the strata in a cliff is mostly trying to find out
a) how quickly the tide comes in each day
b) how much taller the cliff will grow
c) the order in which the rocks were laid down
d) which seabirds nest on the cliff ledges
Show answer
c) the order in which the rocks were laid down
2. Where would you most easily see a stratum of rock?
a) on the roof of a glass greenhouse
b) in the cut side of a road through a hill
c) on the surface of a frozen pond
d) in the bark of an old oak tree
Show answer
b) in the cut side of a road through a hill
