caprification
[ kap-ruh-fi-key-shuhn ]
nounHorticulture.
a method of artificial pollination of fig trees by wasps that prick the buds on branches of the caprifig that have been hung in trees of the edible fig.
Origin of caprification
1First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin caprifīcātiōn-, stem of caprifīcātiō, derivative of caprifīcāre “to fertilize by caprification” (equivalent to capr-, stem of caper “goat” + -i- + fīc-, stem of fīcus “wild fig” + -āre infinitive suffix); see origin at caprifig
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for caprification
caprification
/ (ˌkæprɪfɪˈkeɪʃən) /
noun
a method of pollinating the edible fig by hanging branches of caprifig flowers in edible fig trees. Parasitic wasps in the caprifig flowers transfer pollen to the edible fig flowers
Origin of caprification
1C17: from Latin caprifīcātiō, from caprifīcāre to pollinate figs by this method, from caprifīcus caprifig
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
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