husbandry
Americannoun
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the cultivation and production of edible crops or of animals for food; agriculture; farming.
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the science of raising crops or food animals.
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careful or thrifty management; frugality, thrift, or conservation.
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the management of domestic affairs or of resources generally.
noun
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farming, esp when regarded as a science, skill, or art
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management of affairs and resources
Etymology
Origin of husbandry
First recorded in 1250–1300, husbandry is from the Middle English word housebondrie. See husband, -ry
Explanation
Husbandry has nothing to do with being a husband, and a lot to do with being a farmer. If you cultivate the land or breed animals, you are practicing husbandry. Long before husbands were hen-pecked guys who cut the grass on weekends and played with the kiddies after school, they were robust men of the Earth — farmers, in other words. That meaning died out, but its current meaning survives as a remnant of it. Today, you most often hear of "crop husbandry", which refers to raising crops; however, if you practice toad husbandry — you must be raising toads.
Vocabulary lists containing husbandry
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Down on the Farm
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Farming and animal husbandry are the main sources of income for locals in this region known for its hazelnuts, which are exported across the world.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
"Our unwavering commitment remains on providing our animals with the highest levels of welfare and husbandry, ensuring all of their physical, emotional and environmental needs are met," said Wild Planet in the statement.
From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025
As a result, even veterinarians may rely on the husbandry guidelines developed by the community of serious crab keepers.
From Slate • Aug. 19, 2025
But whatever Eliza’s husbandry, and however many trees survived, they took several years to bear fruit, and the first crop might have amounted to a massive 16 oranges.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2024
The road from hunting to husbandry is long and arduous.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
