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

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

The Purdue study suggests that using less fertilizer and switching to less nitrogen-dependent soybeans could bring some relief to farmers.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

“We’re looking at extremely high fertilizer prices, and that’s made it much worse.”

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

The price of imported fresh tomatoes, on the other hand, is up 15% month over month because of drought conditions in Mexico, import tariffs, and fertilizer costs.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

It is separately investigating the markets for eggs, fertilizer and crop seeds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

“Couldn’t have killed you to shovel it up. We didn’t get much fertilizer through the slot before that car came.”

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

• manure