afforest

[ uh-fawr-ist, uh-for- ]

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

Origin of afforest

1
1495–1505; <Medieval Latin afforēstāre, equivalent to af-af- + forēst(is) forest + -āre infinitive suffix

Other words from afforest

  • af·for·est·a·tion, af·for·est·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use afforest in a sentence

  • As we came through Hyogo prefecture my companion pointed to hill after hill which had been afforested since his youth.

    The Foundations of Japan | J.W. Robertson Scott
  • The amount of afforested land varied considerably from time to time.

    A History of Police in England | W. L. Melville Lee
  • The land will be irrigated and afforested; water power will be "harnessed" and made to supply light and heat.

    With the Judans in the Palestine Campaign | J. H. (John Henry) Patterson
  • There are rumours, however, that this estate is being bought for the government and will be afforested and developed.

    Poor Folk in Spain | Jan Gordon

British Dictionary definitions for afforest

afforest

/ (əˈfɒrɪst) /


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

Origin of afforest

1
C15: from Medieval Latin afforestāre, from forestis forest

Derived forms of afforest

  • afforestation, noun

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