# dirt

Pronunciation: say "DURT" US /dɝt/, UK /dɜːt/

## Noun

1. Loose earth or soil, especially the kind found on the ground. *(US)*
   - Simple: Loose brown material that covers the ground, where plants grow.
   - _Rain turned the bare dirt of the path into thick mud._
   - _He filled the planter with rich dirt from the garden._
2. A stain, spot, or unwanted substance that spoils the appearance of something.
   - Simple: Mud, grime, or other stuff that makes something look unclean.
   - _A smear of dirt ran across the white tablecloth._
   - _The mechanic wiped the dirt from his hands with an old rag._
3. Damaging or scandalous information about a person, especially when previously unknown.
   - Simple: Secret bad facts or stories about someone.
   - _The tabloid promised readers fresh dirt on the celebrity couple._
   - _His rivals spread dirt about his past to ruin the campaign._
4. Moral baseness or sordidness; behavior that is mean, low, or shameful.
   - Simple: Mean, low behavior that is nasty and shameful.
   - _The memoir exposed the dirt beneath the family's respectable surface._
   - _He could never wash the dirt of his cowardice from his memory._
5. Small brownish spots on the skin; freckles.
   - Simple: Small brown spots on the skin, brought out by the sun.
   - _Her pale skin showed faint dirt that darkened every July._
   - _A scattering of dirt had spread over the boy's nose by August._
6. In placer mining, the earth, gravel, and similar material dug out before it is washed to recover minerals.
   - Simple: In gold mining, the earth and gravel dug up before it is washed.
   - _Prospectors shoveled dirt into the sluice and let the water carry off the lighter material._
   - _A single pan of dirt from the riverbed held three small nuggets._

## Noun

7. Excrement or dung; the waste matter passed from the body. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Solid waste passed from the body of an animal or person.
   - _The farmer carted the dirt from the cattle pens out to the meadow._
   - _Rain washed the dirt of the livestock down into the stream._

## Verb

8. To make something foul, filthy, or unclean; to soil. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To make something dirty or unclean.
   - _Careless workers can dirt a freshly painted wall in moments._
   - _Floodwater will dirt every carpet on the ground floor._

## Origin

From Middle English drit ("excrement"), from Old Norse drit, from Proto-Germanic *dritą and ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to have diarrhea." It is related to Norwegian dritt, Icelandic drit ("bird excrement"), Dutch drijten ("to defecate"), and Old English ġedrītan.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dirt (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).