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sustrato

substrate

noun soos-TRAH-toh Rare
Communication Language

Origin: From Latin 'substratum', past participle of 'substernere' (to spread under).

Also means

substratum

Usage Note

Sustrato is used both in linguistics (the language a conquered population spoke before adopting a new tongue) and in geology/biology (a layer beneath the surface). In linguistics, scholars speak of the sustrato ibérico that influenced early Latin in Spain. The biological sense refers to the medium on which an organism grows, like the soil or a culture plate.

Examples

"El latín conservó rasgos del sustrato celta."

Natural Translation

Latin retained traces of the Celtic substrate.

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