harvest

[hahr-vist]

noun

1. the gathering of crops.

   Drought has delayed the harvest of corn, peanuts, potatoes, and other vegetables.

2. the season when ripened crops are gathered.

   All through springtime, summer, and harvest, she waited for him.

3. a crop or yield of one growing season.

   Our blackberries are on track to meet or exceed last year's harvest of 30 lbs.

4. a supply of anything gathered at maturity and stored.

   The silos held an abundant harvest of wheat.

5. the taking or removal of animals to be killed for food or other uses.

   Some have called the harvest of nautilus shells for jewelry and ornaments a “horrendous slaughter.”

6. the collection of any resource for future use.

   Rules were established to limit the harvest of forest resources for fuel and building materials.

7. the extraction of an organ or tissue from a body for the purpose of transplant or scientific research.

   The new method could improve the harvest of stem cells from umbilical cord blood.

8. the result or consequence of any act, process, or event.

   The journey yielded a harvest of wonderful memories.

   Synonyms: return, product, collection, accumulation

verb (used with object)

1. to gather (a crop or the like); reap.

   It’s time to harvest the corn.

2. to gather the crop from.

   The farmer hired a few day laborers to help harvest his fields.

3. to gain, win, or use (a prize, product, or result of any past act, process, etc.).

   The country hopes to harvest dividends from staging a problem-free Olympics next year.

4. to catch, take, or remove (animals), especially for food.

   Fishermen harvested hundreds of salmon from the river.

5. to collect (any resource) for future use.

   to harvest solar energy;

   spammers who harvest email addresses.

6. to extract (an organ or tissue) from a living or dead body, as for transplantation or research.

   to harvest a kidney;

   to harvest embryos.

verb (used without object)

1. to gather a crop; reap.

   We saw whole families out in the fields, harvesting.

harvest

/ ˈhɑːvɪst /

noun

1. the gathering of a ripened crop

2. the crop itself or the yield from it in a single growing season

3. the season for gathering crops

4. the product of an effort, action, etc

   a harvest of love

verb

1. to gather or reap (a ripened crop) from (the place where it has been growing)

2. (tr) to receive or reap (benefits, consequences, etc)

3. (tr) to remove (an organ) from the body for transplantation

Other Word Forms

• harvesting noun
• harvestless adjective
• harvestable adjective
• harvestability noun
• half-harvested adjective
• postharvest adjective
• preharvest noun
• reharvest verb
• unharvested adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of harvest¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English hærfest; cognate with German Herbst “autumn”; akin to Greek karpós “fruit,” Latin carpere “to pluck” ( carpe diem, carpel )

Word History and Origins

Origin of harvest¹

Old English hærfest; related to Old Norse harfr harrow, Old High German herbist autumn, Latin carpere to pluck, Greek karpos fruit, Sanskrit krpāna shears

Example Sentences

American soybean farmers are in panic mode as they harvest what is expected to be a bumper crop without their biggest customer: China.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

In parts of Wisconsin, shoppers can eat a bag of Lay’s made from potatoes that were harvested that same morning.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Yaghi’s research group has used the technology to harvest water from the desert in California, and companies are now investing in MOF mass production and commercialization.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Traditionally thought to be a love token, the harvest knots were used as invites for guests.

Read more on BBC

Historically, festivities occur after the year’s last harvest in either October or November.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accumulate 
• amass 
• collect 
• gather 
• hoard 
• mow 
• pick 
• pluck 
• reap 
• take in