Wiktionary

fertilize

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From French fertiliser; equivalent to fertile +‎ -ize.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈfɜː(ɹ)tɪlaɪz/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Verb

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fertilize (third-person singular simple present fertilizes, present participle fertilizing, simple past and past participle fertilized)

  1. To make (the soil) more fertile by adding nutrients to it.
  2. (figuratively) To make more creative or intellectually productive.
    to fertilize one's imagination
    • 2014 August 8, Rupert Christiansen, “The truth about falsettos [print version: 12 August 2014, p. R8]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review)‎[1]:
      He [countertenor Anthony Roth Constanzo] also enjoys being the catalyst whereby opera fertilises other art forms: recently, he's collaborated with Japanese kabuki actors, and a project with dancers from New York City Ballet is in the offing.
  3. To cause to produce offspring through insemination; to inseminate.

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Portuguese

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Verb

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fertilize

  1. inflection of fertilizar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative
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