stratio-, strati-, strato-, strat-, -stratus; ster-, stern-
(Latin: horizontal layer; stretched, spread out; layer, cloud layer; strew, scatter, disperse)
The Latin stratum meant "something laid down". It was used as a noun for the past participle of sternere, "to spread out, to lay down, to stretch out" which produced consternation and prostrate plus many other words from the same etymological sources which are listed in this unit.
2. A section cut vertically through the earth showing its different layers and allowing artefacts to be dated according to the layers in which they are found.
3. The way in which rock strata are arranged, and the chronology of their formation.
4. In geology, a branch of geology that is concerned with the systemized study, description, and classification of stratified rocks, including their origins, composition, characteristics, distribution, and correlation with one another.
Commonly these layers are levels of sedimentary rock, but stratigraphy can also include the study of non-ossified sediments; such as, those in stream beds and lake bottoms, of inclusions in volcanic ash and lava, and even the study of different layers of human occupation.
The processes of sedimentation, including the presence of certain types of fossils, provide scientists with valuable clues about the age of the earth and its history.
These principles are valuable for many different types of scientists, ranging from prospecting geologists to city planner to archaeologists and paleontologists studying human and animal history and prehistory.
2. A cloud formation in a low-lying extensive layer with large dark round or rolling masses.
The stratosphere has no clouds and consists of gradual temperature increases.
2. In former use, it referred to all of the atmosphere above the troposphere.3. A very high or the highest level or position.
4. The nearly uniform cold ocean water masses in high latitudes and near-bottom waters of middle and low latitudes; ocean water below the thermocline.
It has no clouds and is marked by gradual increases in temperature.
2. A descriptive term for very high or the highest level or position of something, or the greatest amount: "The excessively cold weather this spring probably will cause a decrease in agricultural products and so result in stratospheric food prices."3. Referring to extremely high or the highest point or degree on a ranked scale: "Because of the increase in oil prices, gas prices have shot up stratospherically this week."
2. A volcano that is composed of alternating layers of lava and pyroclastic material, along with abundant dikes and sills. Viscous, intermediate lava may flow from a central vent. Example: Mt. Fuji in Japan.
2. A layer of the atmosphere or the sea: One stratum or level of the air or sky is the troposphere, which occurs in tiers or heights.
3. In biology, a fold of living cells; or a sheetlike mass of substance of nearly uniform thickness; especially, when it is one of several associated levels, as in tissue: In Robert’s biology class at school, he learned that one of several layers of skin tissue in a body is known as the epithelial strata.
4. A horizontal layer of vegetation within a stratified plant area: In the Alps above the tree line, there is only a selected stratum of plant life that can survive such extreme climate changes.
5. A social rank or level of society consisting of people of similar cultural, economic, or educational status: There are many different political viewpoints within one stratum, or social class, of individuals in the town where Joan’s sister lives.
6. A layer or level within an ordered system: In the poem that Jane was reading for school, she had to find out the different strata of meanings and thoughts it conveyed to the reader.
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In meteorology, a principal cloud development that is characterized by a gray layer having a relatively uniform depth and low altitude: The stratus often occurs in the form of uneven patches or fragments and is usually composed of fairly widely dispersed water droplets.