tilth
Americannoun
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the act or operation of tilling land; tillage.
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the state of being tilled or under cultivation.
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the physical condition of soil in relation to plant growth.
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land that is tilled or cultivated.
noun
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the act or process of tilling land
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the condition of soil or land that has been tilled, esp with respect to suitability for promoting plant growth
Etymology
Origin of tilth
Explanation
Tilth is land that has been plowed, sowed, and yes, tilled, and is ready to be used for raising crops. An active farm should have plenty of tilth. Tilth is also called tilled land. The words tilth and till come from an Old English word that means basically “to labor, to work.” Tilth is what happens when you work the soil. This unusual-looking word has had several meanings related to work and cultivation, but its main meaning is a type of land that's been used by farmers for their crops.
Vocabulary lists containing tilth
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.
Fertile soil with good tilth does not come about with a single or even several additions of organic material, but from a consistent soil-building program.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2022
An introduction to the basic components of organic gardening that outlines the secrets of great soil, such as good soil tilth, texture and structure, and an abundance of organic matter.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2022
Pete Buttigieg is conversant in regenerative agriculture and soil tilth.
From The Guardian • Sep. 16, 2019
So, unlike virtually every other gardener in Britain, I had no intention of spending my summer wandering among aristocratic roses and marvelling at the fine tilth of Lord Whatsit’s sandy carrot beds.
From The New Yorker • Aug. 2, 2019
The townlands were rich, with wide tilth and many orchards, and homesteads there were with oast and garner, fold and byre, and many rills rippling through the green from the highlands down to Anduin.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
