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View synonyms for

fertile

[ fur-tlor, especially British, -tahyl ]

adjective

  1. bearing, producing, or capable of producing vegetation, crops, etc., abundantly; prolific:

    fertile soil.

    Synonyms: ,

    Antonyms: ,

  2. bearing or capable of bearing offspring.

    Synonyms: ,

    Antonyms: ,

  3. abundantly productive:

    a fertile imagination.

    Synonyms: ,

    Antonyms: ,

  4. producing an abundance (usually followed by of or in ):

    a land fertile of wheat.

  5. conducive to productiveness:

    fertile showers.

  6. Biology.
    1. fertilized, as an egg or ovum; fecundated.
    2. capable of growth or development, as seeds or eggs.
  7. Botany.
    1. capable of producing sexual reproductive structures.
    2. capable of causing fertilization, as an anther with fully developed pollen.
    3. having spore-bearing organs, as a frond.
  8. Physics. (of a nuclide) capable of being transmuted into a fissile nuclide by irradiation with neutrons: Compare fissile ( def 2 ).

    Uranium 238 and thorium 232 are fertile nuclides.

  9. produced in abundance.


fertile

/ ˈɜːٲɪ /

adjective

  1. capable of producing offspring
    1. (of land) having nutrients capable of sustaining an abundant growth of plants
    2. (of farm animals) capable of breeding stock
  2. biology
    1. capable of undergoing growth and development

      fertile seeds

      fertile eggs

    2. (of plants) capable of producing gametes, spores, seeds, or fruits
  3. producing many offspring; prolific
  4. highly productive; rich; abundant

    a fertile brain

  5. physics (of a substance) able to be transformed into fissile or fissionable material, esp in a nuclear reactor
  6. conducive to productiveness

    fertile rain

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fertile

  1. Capable of producing offspring, seeds, or fruit.
  2. Capable of developing into a complete organism; fertilized.
  3. Capable of supporting plant life; favorable to the growth of crops and plants.
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Derived Forms

  • ˈڱپԱ, noun
  • ˈڱپ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • ڱt· adverb
  • ڱt·Ա noun
  • 󲹱-ڱt adjective
  • half-ڱt· adverb
  • half-ڱt·Ա noun
  • ԴDz·ڱt adjective
  • v·ڱt adjective
  • ·ڱt adjective
  • ܲ·ڱt adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fertile1

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English (from Middle French ), from Latin fertilis “fruitful,” akin to ferre “to bear”; bear 1, -ile
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fertile1

C15: from Latin fertilis , from ferre to bear
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Synonym Study

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Art is a super fertile place to make associations because you create something that’s sort of parallel to reality.

From

He created such fertile ground for exploration and play.

From

It’s also close-knit and small, a fertile environment for slights to fester.

From

Saudi Arabia would have been fertile ground for Salah financially, but it could not offer the enticement of the biggest honours in the game, something he can still pursue at Liverpool.

From

At that time, most of the country's most fertile land was owned by some 4,000 white farmers.

From

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fertigateFertile Crescent