afforest

American  

[uh-fawr-ist, uh-for-] / əˈfɔr ɪst, əˈfɒr- /

verb (used with object)

1. to convert (bare or cultivated land) into forest, originally for the purpose of providing hunting grounds.

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afforest British  

/ əˈfɒrɪst /

verb

1. (tr) to plant trees on; convert into forested land

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Other Word Forms

• afforestation
  noun
• afforestment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of afforest

1495–1505; < Medieval Latin afforēstāre, equivalent to af- af- + forēst ( is ) forest + -āre infinitive suffix

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

afforest

Next, he set to work to afforest the newly recovered ground, to carve it out in allotments suitable for agricultural pursuits, and to encourage the settlement of vigorous working peasant-tenants.

From The Tragedies of the Medici by Edgcumbe Staley

It has been found impossible to afforest them on account of the roughness of the sea-air, and the wash from their bluffs into the harbour has involved large expense in the erection of sea-walls.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 3 "Borgia, Lucrezia" to "Bradford, John" by Various

To convert into a forest; as, to afforest a tract of country.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Noah Webster