fertile

[fur-tl, -tahyl]

adjective

1. bearing, producing, or capable of producing vegetation, crops, etc., abundantly; prolific.

   fertile soil.

   Synonyms: teeming, fecund
   Antonyms: barren, sterile

2. bearing or capable of bearing offspring.

   Synonyms: teeming, fecund
   Antonyms: barren, sterile

3. abundantly productive.

   a fertile imagination.

   Synonyms: teeming, fecund
   Antonyms: barren, sterile

4. producing an abundance (usually followed by of orin ).

   a land fertile of wheat.

5. conducive to productiveness.

   fertile showers.

6. Biology.

   1. fertilized, as an egg or ovum; fecundated.

   2. capable of growth or development, as seeds or eggs.

7. Botany.

   1. capable of producing sexual reproductive structures.

   2. capable of causing fertilization, as an anther with fully developed pollen.

   3. having spore-bearing organs, as a frond.

8. Physics.,  (of a nuclide) capable of being transmuted into a fissile nuclide by irradiation with neutrons.

   Uranium 238 and thorium 232 are fertile nuclides.

9. produced in abundance.

fertile

/ ˈfɜːtaɪl /

adjective

1. capable of producing offspring

2. 1. (of land) having nutrients capable of sustaining an abundant growth of plants

   2. (of farm animals) capable of breeding stock

3. biology

   1. capable of undergoing growth and development

      fertile seeds

      fertile eggs

   2. (of plants) capable of producing gametes, spores, seeds, or fruits

4. producing many offspring; prolific

5. highly productive; rich; abundant

   a fertile brain

6. physics (of a substance) able to be transformed into fissile or fissionable material, esp in a nuclear reactor

7. conducive to productiveness

   fertile rain

fertile

1. Capable of producing offspring, seeds, or fruit.

2. Capable of developing into a complete organism; fertilized.

3. Capable of supporting plant life; favorable to the growth of crops and plants.

Other Word Forms

• fertileness noun
• fertilely adverb
• half-fertile adjective
• half-fertilely adverb
• half-fertileness noun
• nonfertile adjective
• overfertile adjective
• prefertile adjective
• unfertile adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fertile¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English (from Middle French ), from Latin fertilis “fruitful,” akin to ferre “to bear”; bear ¹, -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of fertile¹

C15: from Latin fertilis , from ferre to bear

Synonym Study

See productive.

Example Sentences

The bluffs, canyons and mountainous terrain that comprise the interior of the base has been fertile training ground for those sent to conflicts in the Middle East and beyond.

From Los Angeles Times

“The octopus behaves the same way whether or not the eggs are fertile, and female octopus senescing while caring for unfertile eggs is a situation that also naturally occurs in the wild,” Jaros said.

From Los Angeles Times

These invariably involve Reform taking seats on the regional lists - which were fertile ground for the Conservatives in 2021, returning 26 of their 31 MSPs.

From BBC

“This is a fertile ground for architecture anyway, and always has been.”

From Los Angeles Times

Professor Allan Pacey, an expert in male fertility, said research shows men over the age of 40 are "about half as fertile" as men aged 25, making the rise even more interesting.

From BBC

Related Words

• abundant 
• arable 
• fruitful 
• lush 
• productive 
• rich