cultivator

[ kuhl-tuh-vey-ter ]

noun

1. a person or thing that cultivates.
2. an implement drawn between rows of growing plants to loosen the earth and destroy weeds.

cultivator

/ ˈkʌltɪˌveɪtə /

noun

1. a farm implement equipped with shovels, blades, etc, used to break up soil and remove weeds
2. a person or thing that cultivates
3. a person who grows, tends, or improves plants or crops

Word History and Origins

Origin of cultivator¹

First recorded in 1655–65; cultivate + -or ²

Example Sentences

We are excited to see the ordinance come to fruition, and we hope as cultivators it mimics the state without significant additional regulations added on the local level that will make it economically prohibitive.

From Voice of San Diego

Farmers have been protesting changes to India’s agricultural laws they say would undermine their autonomy as cultivators.

From Quartz

That’s because urban cannabis production, led by home-brew cultivators and out-of-state corporations, is leading to rent hikes in desirable artist respites like Oakland and Seattle.

From Ozy

Since then, a fast-growing community of small-scale cultivators and genetic tinkerers has sprung up around the country and the world.

From Outside Online

Elected officials voted 4-1 in support of a proposal that will lay the groundwork for dispensaries, cultivators, testing facilities and more.

From Voice of San Diego

Leo was angry, and said nothing till the dawn broke, and the cultivator came to yoke the Bull to his work.

From Project Gutenberg

The cultivator who then owned him was much annoyed, for there was a field still unploughed.

From Project Gutenberg

The Girl went away to talk to the cultivator's wife and baby, and the afternoon ploughing began.

From Project Gutenberg

No other cultivator of the soil gains as many friends as the tobacco-grower.

From Project Gutenberg

If the cultivator has not caused corn or sesame to grow in the field, he shall not alter his bonds.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• grower
• laborer
• peasant
• producer
• rancher

More About Cultivator

What does cultivator mean?

A cultivator is a farming or gardening tool that breaks up soil and removes weeds in rows where plants are growing or will be grown.

It can also mean a person who grows crops. In both of these senses, a close synonym is the word tiller.

More generally, cultivator can refer to someone or something that cultivates (grows or develops things). Cultivate is commonly used literally to refer to growing crops or other plants but can also be used figuratively, such as to refer to growing an abstract thing such as a business or a friendship. A cultivator can refer to someone who develops something like this.

Example: My garden has become pretty big, so I decided to invest in a cultivator to make planting easier.

Where does cultivator come from?

The first records of the word cultivator come from around the 1660s. It ultimately grew out of the Medieval Latin word cultīvātus, which derives from the Latin verb colere, meaning “to till,” “to toil over,” “to care for,” or “to worship.” Colere is also the basis of the words cult, culture, and agriculture, among many others.

As tools, cultivators typically consist of blades or shovels (often rotating ones) that are used to break up (till) the soil. They come in a range of sizes. For a home garden, a cultivator is often a mechanical tool that can be operated by hand, though there are also electric and gas-powered cultivators. On a farm, a cultivator is often a very large farm implement that works by being pulled by a tractor.

When a person is called a cultivator, it often means they grow plants or crops. But a person who cultivates talent or businesses can also be called a cultivator.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to cultivator?

• cultivate (verb)

What are some synonyms for cultivator?

• tiller

What are some words that share a root or word element with cultivator? 

 

• agriculture
• cultivar
• culture
• cult

What are some words that often get used in discussing cultivator?

 

• till
• soil
• crop
• harvest
• plant
• farm
• tool
• implement

How is cultivator used in real life?

The word cultivator is most commonly used in the context of agriculture.

Getting our green pea oat Intercrop interrow cultivated on 10” spacing last weekend with our Hatzenbichler camera guided cultivator. Looked decent despite the recent mega rainstorm and hail. pic.twitter.com/mzLnfjqAFf

— RegenAgSolutions inc.//Alex Boersch (@RegenAgSolutio1) June 1, 2020

Trying out my new cultivator today. Pulled all the cinderblocks that had lined the old veggie beds & now I'm turning over the soil inside. Hubs wants to do a keyhole garden. Gotta start somewhere.

— Exposition🦋Emporium (@lil_kyloren) June 13, 2020

I believe that I am a cultivator of talent , an incubator of creativity….and i can connect people and situations

— Gianni Lee (@giannilee) December 12, 2010

 

 

Try using cultivator!

True or False? 

The word cultivator always refers to a farm tool.