fertility
Americannoun
-
fertilities
plural
-
the state or quality of being fertile.
-
Biology. the ability to produce offspring; power of reproduction.
the amazing fertility of rabbits.
-
the birthrate of a population.
-
(of soil) the capacity to supply nutrients in proper amounts for plant growth when other factors are favorable.
noun
-
the ability to produce offspring, esp abundantly
-
the state or quality of being fertile
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of fertility
1375–1425; late Middle English fertilite (< Middle French ) < Latin fertilitās. See fertile, -ity
Explanation
Fertility is the ability to have babies or to reproduce. When fertility rates in a community increase, more babies are born. Fertility is the quality of a human's ability to produce offspring, which is dependent on age, health, and other factors. The noun can also refer to the state of a plant or animal's being capable of reproduction. When you hear about "fertility rates," it means the number of births that happen during a certain time period in a specific location. The Latin root word is fertilis, "bearing in abundance or fruitful," from ferre, "to bear."
Vocabulary lists containing fertility
Bless Me, Ultima
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Content Summary G.3: Spatial Reorganization
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
American Street
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Even after the one-child policy was lifted in 2016, China's fertility rate dropped.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The decline in global fertility has to level out at some point…right?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The new approach may support future research into soil fertility, nutrient management, and more sustainable food production systems.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
“I see people in my clinic who don’t understand they don’t have insurance coverage,” said fertility doctor Marc Kalan, co-founder of Los Angeles Reproductive Center in Encino.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Nor does it necessarily contradict our explanation of fertility magic, of which it can be seen as a late outgrowth.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
Among a people who look to music and song as a source of enjoyment, the habit of improvisation grows up imperceptibly, and engages all the fertilities of imagination in its exercise.
From Servian Popular Poetry by John Bowring
Now did Pedgift Junior shine brighter than ever he had shone yet in gems of caustic humor and exquisite fertilities of resource.
From Armadale by Wilkie Collins
Definitions 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.
