arable

[ ar-uh-buhl ]

adjective

1. capable of producing crops; suitable for farming; suited to the plow and for tillage:

   arable land; arable soil.

noun

1. land that can be or is cultivated.

arable

/ ˈærəbəl /

adjective

1. (of land) being or capable of being tilled for the production of crops
2. of, relating to, or using such land

   arable farming

noun

1. arable land or farming

Other Words From

• ara·bili·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of arable¹

1375–1425; < Latin arābilis, equivalent to arā ( re ) to plow + -bilis -ble; replacing late Middle English erable, equivalent to er ( en ) to plow ( Old English erian ) + -able -able

Word History and Origins

Origin of arable¹

C15: from Latin arābilis that can be ploughed, from arāre to plough

Example Sentences

Water, food and arable land will be more scarce, cities more crowded and hunger more widespread.

From The Daily Beast

You will, by accident listening to the show, become an expert-not-really in matters of arable farming, organic crops, and milking.

From The Daily Beast

Extensive tracts of good arable land exist in many parts of the Acadian region.

From Project Gutenberg

Chief among the causes of the misery of the peasants was the extent to which arable land was converted into pasture.

From Project Gutenberg

Reducing more and more that famishing dog-kennel of a Brandenburg into a fruitful arable field.

From Project Gutenberg

The idleness of arable and pasture land is as nothing compared to the idleness of the wide, rolling downs.

From Project Gutenberg

One of these, with the adjacent domain of arable fields and woods, had the name of a villa or manse.

From Project Gutenberg