manure
Americannoun
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excrement, especially of animals, or other refuse used as fertilizer.
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any natural or artificial substance for fertilizing the soil.
verb (used with object)
noun
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animal excreta, usually with straw, used to fertilize land
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any material, esp chemical fertilizer, used to fertilize land
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of manure
1350–1400; Middle English manouren to till, cultivate < Middle French manouvrer to do manual work. See maneuver
Explanation
Gardeners use the word manure to mean a fertilizer made from animal waste. Manure is good for helping plants grow and stay healthy. When you spread manure on your vegetable garden, you're feeding the soil and plants with nutrients that encourage growth. The manure itself might be, for example, a combination of cow dung and straw, or slightly decomposed chicken waste. Sometimes the word manure is used for any kind of fertilizer, including those made entirely from plants. The earliest meaning of manure was "to cultivate land," from an Old French root word, manouvrer, "to work with the hands or cultivate."
Vocabulary lists containing manure
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Charlotte's Web
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Because of Mr. Terupt
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Manure stinks in part because it contains ammonia, one of the more than 300 compounds that contribute to its odor.
From Science Daily • Dec. 12, 2023
Manure, organic fertilizers such as feather, bone or blood meal are sources of nitrogen.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2022
Manure from horses pulling carts on the South Bridge above would mix with sewage and rain water, which then seeped into the vaults below.
From BBC • Oct. 30, 2022
Manure could become even more precious later this year, as U.S. livestock herds and poultry flocks shrink.
From Reuters • Apr. 6, 2022
Manure has been valuable, too, as a source of fuel for fires in traditional societies.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
