The Library

If you were asked for a word that means "a patch of earth", what would be the first thing to come to your mind?

Would you think of "sod"?

Is the word "sod" actually used in that meaning?

Because my dictionary notes its use as fml (formal) or rhet (rhetorical), and teachers tell us students to stay away from anything marked as formal. But whether because a consistent use of formal language is usually beyond the average student or because these words are so formal (or outdated) that they aren't used anymore in everyday language I haven't yet found out.

I need this for a fic and I'd like to know how long it would take someone - let's take Head Auror Harry Potter, for example (*cough*) - to think of "sod" when asked for "a patch of earth."