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Definition of humus

humus

/ˈhjuː.məs/
hu · mus
Adjective:humous
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humus Lexical Profile

humus Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

The dark, organic material in soils, produced by the decomposition of plant or animal matter and essential to the fertility of the earth.

Example

"The gardener mixed rich, dark humus into the dry soil to improve its moisture retention and provide nutrients for the spring planting."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for humus

Word Nuance & Usage

Frequently confused with 'hummus', the Middle Eastern chickpea dip; 'humus' (pronounced with a harder 'h' or identical depending on dialect) strictly refers to decomposed organic soil matter.

• Rhymes for humus

• Nearby Words

humped
humph
humphead wrasse
humus
humvee
hun
hunch

Word Origin & Etymology

From Latin 'humus', meaning 'earth', 'ground', or 'soil'. It shares a root with 'human', 'humble', and 'exhume', all tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European base *dhghem- (earth).

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Humus. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/humus
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