topsoil

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)The upper layer of soil, typically most fertile and in which it is the easiest to start new plants.

   “Little grew on the farm, after the floods from the hurricane washed away the topsoil.”

   “Without urgent action, the majority of the Earth’s topsoil could be severely degraded or lost before the end of this century. In China, topsoil is being lost fifty-seven times faster than this natural replacement process; in Europe seventeen times faster.”

verb

1. (transitive)To remove the topsoil from.