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

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

"We have these fertilized eggs from many, many different genetic backgrounds and we raise them over a series of days until we have coral babies, coral teenagers," she explains.

From BBC

Instead of treating her, the hospital sent her home, and the fertilized egg later ruptured, requiring emergency surgery to remove part of her reproductive system.

From Salon

Related Words

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