fertile
adjectiveattested in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈfɜːtaɪl//
- United Kingdom//ˈfɜːtəl//
- United States//ˈfɝːtəl//
- United States//ˈfɝːtaɪl//
- Canada//ˈfɝːtaɪl//
Of land, etc.: capable of growing abundant crops; productive.
adjective
- 1
Of land, etc.: capable of growing abundant crops; productive.
Taking advantage of the river's fertile floodplain, residents of the town of Skardu cultivate apricot, apple, and peach orchards in the sandy soil.
- 2
figurativeOf one's imagination, etc.: active, productive, prolific.
- 3
Capable of reproducing; fecund, fruitful.
Most women at the age of fifty are not fertile.
- 4
Capable of developing past the egg stage.
- 5
Not itself fissile, but able to be converted into a fissile material by irradiation in a reactor.
There are two basic fertile materials: uranium-238 and thorium-232.
Etymology
From Middle English, from Middle French fertile, from Old French fertile, from Latin fertilis (“fruitful, fertile”), from ferō (“to bear, carry”).
Forms
- comparative
- more fertile
- superlative
- most fertile
fertile · Of land, etc.: capable of growing abundant crops; productive.
Fertile · A city and township in Iowa.fertility · The condition, or the degree, of being fertile.fertilizer · A natural substance that is used to make the ground more…