fertile

[ fur-tlor, especially British, -tahyl ]

adjective

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

   fertile soil.

   Synonyms: teeming, fecund

   Antonyms: barren, sterile

2. bearing or capable of bearing offspring.

   Synonyms: teeming, fecund

   Antonyms: barren, sterile

3. abundantly productive:

   a fertile imagination.

   Synonyms: teeming, fecund

   Antonyms: barren, sterile

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

/ ˈfɜːtaɪl /

adjective

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

      fertile seeds

      fertile eggs

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

   a fertile brain

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

   fertile rain

fertile

/ fûr′tl /

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.

Derived Forms

• ˈfertileness, noun
• ˈfertilely, adverb

Other Words From

• fertile·ly adverb
• fertile·ness noun
• half-fertile adjective
• half-fertile·ly adverb
• half-fertile·ness noun
• non·fertile adjective
• over·fertile adjective
• pre·fertile adjective
• un·fertile adjective

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fertile¹

C15: from Latin fertilis , from ferre to bear

Synonym Study

See productive.

Example Sentences

Ingram and MacKay start off like the kind of couple you wouldn’t put together even though they truly might be the last fertile singles alive.

From Los Angeles Times

Prelogar calmly responded to these claims by noting that the district court found that many trans people remain fertile after taking these medications and noted that patients are counseled that they can take steps to preserve their fertility.

From Slate

“Within this context, messages about Jewish superiority and demonisation of the enemy are fertile ground for fostering brutality and releasing soldiers from moral constraints.”

From BBC

A study led by researchers from the UAB and the University La Sapienza in Rome indicates that during the Late Neolithic, between 7000 and 5000 BCE, the fully agricultural communities in the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East, developed a complex culinary tradition that included the baking of large loaves of bread and "focaccias" with different flavours on special trays known to archaeologists as husking trays.

From Science Daily

“The ground is fertile,” said Jesse Rabinowitz, campaign and communications director for the National Homelessness Law Center, which fights laws aimed at criminalizing homelessness.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abundant
• arable
• fruitful
• lush
• productive
• rich