Stratum

English Meaning

A bed of earth or rock of one kind, formed by natural causes, and consisting usually of a series of layers, which form a rock as it lies between beds of other kinds. Also used figuratively.

1. A horizontal layer of material, especially one of several parallel layers arranged one on top of another.
2. Geology A bed or layer of sedimentary rock having approximately the same composition throughout.
3. Any of the regions of the atmosphere, such as the troposphere, that occur as layers.
4. Biology A layer of tissue: the epithelial stratum.
5. A level of society composed of people with similar social, cultural, or economic status.
6. One of a number of layers, levels, or divisions in an organized system: a complex poem with many strata of meaning.