Chernozem

Origin

From Russian чернозём, "black soil", letter "ё" is usually written as "е" in Russian, more accurately transliterated as "chernozyom", also cf. Черноземье where "ё" is changed to "е".

Full definition of chernozem

Noun

1. A fertile black soil containing a very high percentage of humus (3% to 15%) and high percentages of phosphoric acids, phosphorus and ammonia.

Synonyms

• black earth

Derived terms

• chernozemic