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

"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

The increase in oil prices has also affected diesel and fertilizer prices, creating a ripple effect through several sectors, including agriculture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026

Higher gas prices, for their part, have bled over into other parts of the economy, while the temporary closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz also raised the cost of fertilizer and other critical chemicals.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

The Fund has in recent weeks ramped up its programs for African countries hit by high energy and fertilizer prices caused by the war.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

First, as any modern gardener or farmer still knows by experience, crop yields can be greatly increased by manure applied as fertilizer.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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

That means it’s exposed to nitrogen fertilizers, but not as much as CF.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

Fertiglobe, majority owned by Abu Dhabi state oil company Adnoc, uses natural gas to produce fertilizers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

There was no free fuel for its aging factories, no guaranteed market for its often-shoddy goods, and no access to cheap, Soviet-made chemical fertilizers on which state farms had become dependent.

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

Related Words

• manure