fertilizer

American  

[fur-tl-ahy-zer] / ˈfɜr tlˌaɪ zər /

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.

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fertilizer British  

/ 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

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fertilizer Scientific  

/ fûr′tl-ī′zər /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of fertilizer

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

Example Sentences

Without the annual floods, the soil was soon stripped of its richness, but with their meager harvests they could not afford to buy artificial fertilizers.

From Literature

Deere leverages AI to help farmers cut costs—by reducing labor required to operate equipment, minimizing wasted crop chemicals, and applying fertilizer more precisely where soil nutrients are deficient.

From Barron's

We composted most of our waste and used it as fertilizer.

From Literature

The Brazil crop agency reports that 45.5 million metric tons of fertilizer were imported into the country in 2025, which beats the prior year’s total of 44.28 million tons—then a record.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the experiment, 100 farmers each grew two millet plots each -- one treated with nitrogen fertilizer and one left untreated for comparison.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• manure