manure

[muh-noor, -nyoor]

noun

1. excrement, especially of animals, or other refuse used as fertilizer.

2. any natural or artificial substance for fertilizing the soil.

verb (used with object)

manured, manuring 

1. to treat (land) with fertilizing matter; apply manure to.

manure

/ məˈnjʊə /

noun

1. animal excreta, usually with straw, used to fertilize land

2. any material, esp chemical fertilizer, used to fertilize land

verb

1. (tr) to spread manure upon (fields or soil)

Other Word Forms

• manurer noun
• manurial adjective
• manurially adverb
• well-manured adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of manure¹

1350–1400; Middle English manouren to till, cultivate < Middle French manouvrer to do manual work. See maneuver

Word History and Origins

Origin of manure¹

C14: from Medieval Latin manuopera ; manual work; see _manoeuvre

Example Sentences

I don’t know what’s going on, but this is preferable to hearing more facts about how much manure cows can produce in a day.

Read more on Literature

The report from environment groups Size of Wales and WWF Cymru says the soy is high in phosphorous, and becomes a pollutant when animal manure spread on land runs off into rivers.

Read more on BBC

The entire place smelled like grass and manure.

Read more on Literature

I would often fly through the last couple miles at sub-8 minute paces dodging the fake handbag merchants and horse manure overflows that line Central Park South.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Having grown up in a family of self-sufficient farmers, Ben was no stranger to being knee deep in manure, or helping his father birth a rotting lamb from inside an ewe.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• compost 
• droppings 
• dung 
• excrement 
• mulch