STRATUM
Stratum
In linguistics, a stratum or strate is a language that influences, or is influenced by another through contact. A substratum or substrate is a language which has lower power or prestige than another, while a superstratum or superstrate is the language that has higher power or prestige. Both substratum and superstratum languages influence each other, but in different ways. An adstratum or adstrate refers to a language that is in contact with another language in a neighbor population without having identifiably higher or lower prestige. The terms ...The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Stratum (linguistics)
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stratum
Noun
- One of several parallel horizontal layers of material arranged one on top of another.
 - A layer of sedimentary rock having approximately the same composition throughout.
 - Any of the regions of the atmosphere, such as the stratosphere, that occur as layers.
 - A layer of tissue.
 - A class of society composed of people with similar social, cultural, or economic status.
 - A layer of vegetation, usually of similar height.
 
The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: stratum
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.