|chernəz|yȯm noun
( -s )
Etymology: Russian, literally, black earth, from cherno- (from cherny black) + -zem earth (from Old Russian zem earth); akin to Lithuanian kérszas black and white spotted, Sanskrit kṛṣṇa black, and to Old Slavic zemlja earth, Latin humus — more at humble
: any of a group of dark-colored zonal soils with a deep rich humus horizon found in regions (as the grasslands of central No. America) of temperate to cool climate
• cher·no·zem·ic | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷mik adjective