Dear Soil, What Is Your Name?

Abstract

The soil classification systems and the names of classification units (soil classes, soil types, soil orders, soil families) have been changed many times since the times of Dokuchaev and Glinka, but in spite of all of them, the scientific base remained still the same: soil names were determined according to the nature and sequence of horizons and with consideration of soil properties in individual horizons. The names, especially in Europe, were frequently adopted from popular, everyday expressions of farmers. To a certain extent many other names were partially or fully derived from classical languages keeping the main characteristics of soil evolutionary processes. Just a few examples follow.