sostrato

Forms

sostrato m (plural sostrati)^[1]

Etymology

It is learned: it is borrowed from Latin substrātum (“underlying layer”), the neuter past participle of substernō (“to spread under”), formed from sub- (“under”) and sternō (“to spread, strew”).^[2][3][4][5] Nocentini, Devoto–Oli and Treccani name instead the Latin noun substrātus (“a spreading under”), of the fourth declension, made from the same participle.^[6][7][8][5] GRADIT treats it as an Italian formation from strato with the prefix so-, comparing the Latin word.^[9] DEI notes that the linguistic sense came from the language of the natural sciences.^[10]

A popular descendant of Vulgar Latin *substrātum (“litter”) is Old French soustre, still found in French dialects for the bed of branches on which a harvest is stacked.^[11][10]

The Latin verb goes back to Proto-Indo-European *sterh₃- (“to spread, strew”), the root of Ancient Greek στόρνυμι (stórnumi).^[12]

Earliest recorded meaning

Zingarelli and Devoto–Oli date the word to before 1705.^[4][7] DELI's first record is from 1862 (Petruccelli della Gattina), for a layer lying under another, and notes that according to Tommaseo it should already be in Rosmini, before 1855.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Tommaseo remarked that scientific writers “use and abuse” sostrato, and preferred sostanza for the philosophical sense, the bearer of a thing's qualities.^[13][14]

In linguistics the term names an earlier language that left traces in the language that replaced it.^[9][3][15] DELI dates it as substratum to 1868 (Giuliani), as substrato to 1873 (Ascoli, in Il Politecnico) and as sostrato to 1928 (Bertoldi).^[2] Superstrato was formed as its counterpart.^[16] The figurative sense “underlying basis” and the technical senses in chemistry, biology and agriculture are shared with the variant substrato.^[9][3][17]

Timeline

• Before 1705 – Zingarelli's and Devoto–Oli's date for the first record.^[4][7]
• 1862 – Petruccelli della Gattina uses sostrato for an underlying layer.^[2]
• 1868 – Giuliani uses substratum in the linguistic sense.^[2]
• 1873 – Ascoli uses substrato in the linguistic sense.^[2]
• 1928 – Bertoldi uses sostrato in the linguistic sense.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (geology) A layer or stratum lying under another: un sostrato di argilla compatta.^[3][4][15]
2. (linguistics) A substrate: the language spoken in an area before another one replaced it and was influenced by it: l'influsso del sostrato sulla lingua dei conquistatori.^[9][7][3][4]
3. (figurative) The underlying basis or background of something, which shapes it without showing directly: il sostrato religioso di quella cultura.^{[9][7][3][15]}
4. (philosophy) substance: what stays unchanged beneath a thing's qualities and accidents.^[7][3][4]
5. (chemistry) A substance acted on by a reagent or by an enzyme.^[3][17]
6. (biology) The surface or medium on which a plant or a sessile animal lives.^[3][17]
7. (agriculture) The inert material used in hydroponic growing.^[3][17]

Related words

• strato
• substrato
• superstrato
• Latin substratum

Usage notes

Substrato is a less common variant.^[3][15][4] Reazione di sostrato (fenomeno di sostrato) is the influence of the earlier language on the new one.^[9][4] The old variant sustrato meant “foundation”.^[18]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
8. ^ Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
9. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
10. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3564
11. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
12. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
13. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
14. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
15. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
16. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
17. ^ a b c d Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
18. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 932