humus (C1)
noun
Definition
A large group of natural organic compounds, found in the soil, formed from the chemical and biological decomposition of plant and animal residues and from the synthetic activity of microorganisms.
Examples
A humus can be important in texts about science and biology.
In the article, "humus" meant a large group of natural organic compounds, found in the soil, formed from the chemical and biological decomposition of plant and animal residues and from the synthetic activity of microorganisms.
The teacher asked students to explain "humus" from the sentence instead of guessing from the word alone.
How to Use humus
- a humus (noun phrase)
- refers to one example or case of humus — "The text introduced a humus before giving an example."
- the humus of something (noun pattern)
- connects humus to a specific topic or object — "The paragraph explained the humus of the topic in simple language."
- humus in context (reading pattern)
- uses nearby words to choose the right sense — "The learner checked humus in context before writing it down."
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