FERTILE


Meaning of FERTILE in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈfər-t ə l ]

adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin fertilis, from ferre to carry, bear — more at bear

Date: 15th century

1.

a. : producing or bearing fruit in great quantities : productive

b. : characterized by great resourcefulness of thought or imagination : inventive

a fertile mind

c. obsolete : plentiful

2.

a.

(1) : capable of sustaining abundant plant growth

fertile soil

(2) : affording abundant possibilities for growth or development

damp bathrooms are fertile ground for fungi — Consumer Reports

a fertile area for research

b. : capable of growing or developing

a fertile egg

c.

(1) : capable of producing fruit

(2) of an anther : containing pollen

(3) : developing spores or spore-bearing organs

d. : capable of breeding or reproducing

3. : capable of being converted into fissionable material

fertile uranium 238

• fer·tile·ly -t ə l-(l)ē adverb

• fer·tile·ness -t ə l-nəs noun

Synonyms:

fertile , fecund , fruitful , prolific mean producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit. fertile implies the power to reproduce in kind or to assist in reproduction and growth

fertile soil

applied figuratively, it suggests readiness of invention and development

a fertile imagination

fecund emphasizes abundance or rapidity in bearing fruit or offspring

a fecund herd

fruitful adds to fertile and fecund the implication of desirable or useful results

fruitful research

prolific stresses rapidity of spreading or multiplying by or as if by natural reproduction

a prolific writer

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.