Question

What is the plural form of ‘stratum’?
a)Strata
b)Strati
c)Stratums
d)None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Stratum refers to the bed of rocks in the ground and it also refers to the group or the level, which people are allotted based on their education, social status, or earnings.

Complete step-by-step answer:

The word stratum was derived in the late 16th century from the Latin word- Sternere, which means to disperse untidily.
We know the meaning and the origin of Stratum. So, let’s look at its usage:
Example- The rich stratum of the village gathered under a tree. Here, we can understand that the wealthy group of a particular village, gathered under a tree.
Let’s examine the given options to find the plural form of stratum:
a)Strata- It is the plural form of Stratum.
Example- The government has funded a new policy for all strata of the society.
b)Strati- It is the plural form of Stratus. Stratus refers to the layer of grey clouds that are formed at a lower level.
c)Stratums- It is an acceptable plural form of stratum. But it is not used officially or formally.
The correct answer is Option ‘a’.

Note: You can use both Strata and Stratums as the plural form of Stratum. But we tend to use strata more than stratums.