STRATUM

stratum

(noun) a subpopulation divided into a stratified sampling

level, layer, stratum

(noun) an abstract place usually conceived as having depth; “a good actor communicates on several levels”; “a simile has at least two layers of meaning”; “the mind functions on many strata simultaneously”

class, stratum, social class, socio-economic class

(noun) people having the same social, economic, or educational status; “the working class”; “an emerging professional class”

stratum

(noun) one of several parallel layers of material arranged one on top of another (such as a layer of tissue or cells in an organism or a layer of sedimentary rock)

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

stratum (plural stratums or strata)

One of several parallel horizontal layers of material arranged one on top of another.

Synonym: tier

(geology) A layer of sedimentary rock having approximately the same composition throughout.

Synonyms: bed, layer

Coordinate term: seam

Any of the regions of the atmosphere, such as the stratosphere, that occur as layers.

(biology) A layer of tissue.

A class of society composed of people with similar social, cultural, or economic status.

(ecology) A layer of vegetation, usually of similar height.

(computing) The level of accuracy of a computer's clock, relative to others on the network.

Source: Wiktionary

Stra"tum, n.; pl. E. Stratums, L. Strata. The latter is more common. Etym: [L., from sternere, stratum, to spread; akin to Gr. Strew, and cf. Consternation, Estrade, Prostrate, Stratus, Street.]

1. (Geol.)

Definition: A bed of earth or rock of one kind, formed by natural causes, and consisting usually of a series of layers, which form a rock as it lies between beds of other kinds. Also used figuratively.

2. A bed or layer artificially made; a course.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition