arable

American  

[ar-uh-buhl] / ˈær ə bəl /

adjective

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

   arable land; arable soil.

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noun

1. land that can be or is cultivated.

arable British  

/ 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

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noun

1. arable land or farming

Other Word Forms

• arability noun

Etymology

Origin of arable

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

Example Sentences

Livestock farmers would be "hammered" by the price rise, Williamson added, as they bought fertiliser as and when they needed it, not in advance like arable farmers.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Irma was one of Chávez’s direct beneficiaries; she received a parcel of arable land which she cultivated with her brother.

From Slate • Jan. 15, 2026

The DRC has nearly 80 million hectares of arable land and four million hectares of irrigable land.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

One of the farms targeted belonged to William Maughan, a beef, poultry and arable farmer in County Durham whose parents live on the premises.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025

Its swaths of deep brush and arable land made it great for farming but less appealing for honeymoons and hedonism.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore