vernalize

American  

[vur-nl-ahyz] / ˈvɜr nlˌaɪz /

especially British, vernalise

verb (used with object)

vernalized, vernalizing

1. to shorten the growth period of (a plant) by chilling or other special treatment of it, its seeds, or its bulbs.

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vernalize British  

/ ˈvɜːnəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to subject ungerminated or germinating seeds to low temperatures, which is essential for many (plants) of temperate environments to ensure germination in some species and flowering in others

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Other Word Forms

• vernalization noun

Etymology

Origin of vernalize

First recorded in 1820–30; vernal + -ize

Explanation

To vernalize is to expose a seed or plant to cold temperatures so that it will blossom. To grow tulip bulbs in warm places like South Florida, you have to vernalize them first. Plants that require a cold period in order to germinate will naturally grow in places with cold winters — the freezing temperatures vernalize them. This can be done artificially too, if you're in a very warm region trying to grow plants that need the cold and dark in order to recharge before flowering in the spring. Botanists and farmers sometimes vernalize crops in order to grow them outside their usual season. Vernalize is from vernal, "of the spring."

Example Sentences

We vernalize artichokes, which survive winter in moderate climates and, as biennials, bear the second year.

From Washington Post • Feb. 24, 2015

So if you vernalize something, you make it spring-like.

From Time • Mar. 20, 2014