"A soil in which there is no layer of accumulated calcium carbonate, but in which oxides of iron and aluminium have tended to accumulate (usually acidic and characteristic of humid climates)", 1920s; earliest use found in Curtis Marbut (1863–1935). From pedo- + al- + classical Latin fer- (in ferrum iron: see ferro-).[pedalfer etymology, pedalfer origin, 英语词源]