strata
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stra·ta
(strā′tə, străt′ə)n.
A plural of stratum.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
strata
(ˈstrɑːtə)n
(Geological Science) a plural of stratum
Usage: Strata is sometimes wrongly used as a singular noun: this stratum (not strata) of society is often disregarded
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
stra•tum
(ˈstreɪ təm, ˈstræt əm)n., pl. stra•ta (ˈstreɪ tə, ˈstræt ə) stra•tums.
1. a layer of material, naturally or artificially formed, often formed one upon another.
2. layer; level: an allegory with many strata of meaning.
3. a single bed of sedimentary rock, generally consisting of one kind of matter representing continuous deposition.
4. a layer of tissue; lamella.
5. a layer of vegetation in a plant community.
6. a layer of the ocean or the atmosphere distinguished by natural or arbitrary limits.
7. a level or grade of a people or population esp. with reference to social position and education: the lowest stratum of society.
[1590–1600; < Latin strātum literally, a cover, n. use of neuter of strātus, past participle of sternere to spread, strew]
usage: The usual singular of this noun, taken from Latin, is stratum: the lowest stratum in society. The plural is strata: Several strata of settlement were discovered in the evacuation. Occasionally strata occurs as a singular and stratas as a plural. Neither of these uses is well established, and they are often regarded as errors. See also agenda, criterion, media.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.