agriculture
Americannoun
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the science, art, or occupation concerned with cultivating land, raising crops, and feeding, breeding, and raising livestock; farming.
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the production of crops, livestock, or poultry.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of agriculture
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin agrīcultūra, from agrī (genitive singular of ager “field”) + cultūra culture
Explanation
Agriculture describes the practice of growing crops or raising animals. Someone who works as a farmer is in the agriculture industry. The Latin root of agriculture is agri, or "field," plus cultura, "cultivation." Cultivating a piece of land, or planting and growing food plants on it, is largely what agriculture means. Raising animals for meat or milk also falls under the category of agriculture. If we didn't have agriculture, we'd all be running around the woods, picking berries and trying to shoot things.
Vocabulary lists containing agriculture
The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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Down on the Farm
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The United States
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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.
A new strategy to restore and enhance protection for nature in Northern Ireland has been launched by the agriculture and environment minister.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
The leadership in the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda will celebrate the King and his work in protecting rainforests, creating cultural ties and reinforcing relationships around trade, energy, and agriculture.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Diesel is a major input for trucking, agriculture, construction and industrial activity, meaning elevated prices can feed into freight charges and the cost of moving goods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Rising energy and fertiliser costs are hitting smallholder farmers and driving up prices of agricultural commodities, fueling fears of a global food crisis, the head of the UN agriculture development fund told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
In contrast, many islands with intensive agriculture attained population densities exceeding 120 per square mile.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
