fertilizer

[fur-tl-ahy-zer]

noun

1. any substance used to fertilize the soil, especially a commercial or chemical manure.

2. a person, insect, etc., that fertilizes an animal or plant.

   Bees are fertilizers of flowers.

fertilizer

/ ˈfɜːtɪˌlaɪzə /

noun

1. any substance, such as manure or a mixture of nitrates, added to soil or water to increase its productivity

2. an object or organism such as an insect that fertilizes an animal or plant

fertilizer

1. Any of a large number of natural and synthetic materials, including manure and compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, spread on or worked into soil to increase its capacity to support plant growth. Synthetic fertilizers can greatly increase the productivity of soil but have high energy costs, since fossil fuels are required as a source of hydrogen, which is necessary to fix nitrogen in ammonia.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fertilizer¹

First recorded in 1655–65; fertilize + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Rising costs for equipment and fertilizer, and a glut of corn and soybeans, were already squeezing farmers’ balance sheets.

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Such energy sources would allow the project to produce environmentally clean hydrogen and its derivatives, which in turn are used to generate electricity and produce fertilizer.

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There are simpler and safer uses for this wood waste, these critics say: fertilizer for agriculture, wood chips and mulch.

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That trade is dominated by US purchases of raw materials for nuclear energy and fertilizers.

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A farmer in southwestern Hokkaido named Noboru Ohtaka came up with the idea for a so-called “ion bath” after stepping on a sawdust enzyme fertilizer he’d developed and noticing it felt pleasant.

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Related Words

• manure