fertilizer

American  

[fur-tl-ahy-zer] / ˈfɜr tlˌaɪ zər /

noun

fertilizers plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fertilizers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fertilizer

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

Explanation

Material you add to a garden to increase the nutrients in the soil and help plants grow is called fertilizer. If your rosebushes are looking a little sad, you might want to try using fertilizer. To fertilize is to make something fertile, or to encourage it to grow or reproduce. These words, along with fertilizer, come from the Latin fertilis, "bearing in abundance, fruitful, or productive." The most common kind of organic fertilizer is animal manure or peat, and other fertilizers are made of specific nutrients like nitrogen or potassium. Fertilizers are usually solid, though they come in liquid form as well.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fertilizer fertilizers

The disputed Strait of Hormuz is a key waterway for transporting fertilizer and other key commodities, in addition to oil.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Businesses, for their part, had to scramble to find new sources of supply for key commodities such as fertilizer, plastic and aluminum.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

That’s partially the consequence of blockages of the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial thoroughfare not only for middle eastern oil, but also for such industrial inputs as fertilizer and aluminum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

"It could be that these cells support the surrounding tissue and help the brain stay functional and 'youthful'. They may act as a sort of fertilizer in a garden that has started falling apart."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026

For several years, South Korea helped fill the gap, giving Pyongyang half a million tons of fertilizer annually as part of its “Sunshine Policy” to try to ease North-South tensions.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

Heavy metal pollution is common around industrial sites, mining regions, cities, and towns, but contaminants can also spread into rural landscapes through the air, sewage sludge, fertilizers, and other agricultural products.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026

They were looking for a steady source of raw milk at a time when consumers were waking up to the risks of food contaminated by additives, fertilizers and pesticides.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

India’s 100 million-plus farmers can trim demand a bit, though, says Willis Thomas, head of fertilizers analysis at commodities consultant CRU Group.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers of food, but it relies on imported fertilizers that have become more expensive due to the conflicts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

Though hybrids were introduced in the thirties, it wasn’t until farmers started using chemical fertilizers in the 1950s that corn yields really exploded.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• manure