NEW Learning Center For Kids Try It Now

nitrogen-fixing

[ nahy-truh-juh n-fik-sing ]
/ ˈnaɪ trə dʒənˌfɪk sɪŋ /

adjective

involved in or aiding the process of nitrogen fixation.

QUIZZES

Fend Off Sciolism With This Word Of The Day Quiz
Are you the Cinderella of this week’s quiz? Test your memory on the words and definitions from March 23–29.
Question 1 of 7
schlep
to say or do hesitantly or awkwardly
to fold or wind around something
to carry; lug
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of nitrogen-fixing

First recorded in 1895–1900

Words nearby nitrogen-fixing

nitrogen mustard, nitrogen narcosis, nitrogen partition, nitrogen peroxide, nitrogen tetroxide, nitrogen-fixing, nitrogenase, nitrogenize, nitrogenous, nitrogenous wastes, nitroglycerin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Cultural definitions for nitrogen fixing

nitrogen fixing

The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen (which plants cannot absorb) into forms of nitrogen that plants can absorb. Bacteria in the topsoil carry out the conversion.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.