fertilize

American  

[fur-tl-ahyz] / ˈfɜr tlˌaɪz /

especially British, fertilise

verb (used with object)

fertilized, fertilizing

1. Biology.

   1. to render (the female gamete) capable of development by uniting it with the male gamete.

   2. to fecundate or impregnate (an animal or plant).

2. to make fertile; enrich.

   to fertilize farmland.

3. to make productive.

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fertilize British  

/ ˈfɜːtɪˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to provide (an animal, plant, or egg cell) with sperm or pollen to bring about fertilization

2. to supply (soil or water) with mineral and organic nutrients to aid the growth of plants

3. to make fertile or productive

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Other Word Forms

• fertilizability noun
• fertilizable adjective
• overfertilize verb (used with object)
• prefertilize verb (used with object)
• refertilizable adjective
• refertilize verb (used with object)
• unfertilizable adjective
• unfertilized adjective
• unfertilizing adjective

Etymology

Origin of fertilize

First recorded in 1640–50; fertile + -ize

Example Sentences

In regions north of the Antarctic Polar Front -- a boundary where cold Antarctic waters meet warmer waters to the north -- that dust helped fertilize algae.

From Science Daily

Although nitrogen fertilizer was used in the experiment, the researchers do not recommend fertilizing forests.

From Science Daily

But syrup producers do not plant, irrigate, fertilize or use insecticides on their self-sufficient forests.

From The Wall Street Journal

In clinical terms, IVF involves removing eggs from a woman, fertilizing them in a lab with sperm and implanting embryos in the uterus.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was designed to roam the fields, planting and fertilizing and harvesting the feed crops.

From Literature

Related Words

• compost
• enrich
• germinate
• impregnate
• inseminate
• mulch
• pollinate
• propagate