/ ˈhɑːvɪst; NAmE ˈhɑːrv-/ noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C , U ] the time of year when the crops are gathered in on a farm, etc.; the act of cutting and gathering crops :
harvest time
Farmers are extremely busy during the harvest.
2.
[ C ] the crops, or the amount of crops, cut and gathered :
the grain harvest
a good / bad harvest (= a lot of crops or few crops)
( figurative )
The appeal produced a rich harvest of blankets, medicines and clothing.
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IDIOMS
see reap
■ verb
1.
[ v , vn ] to cut and gather a crop; to catch a number of animals or fish to eat
2.
[ vn ] ( medical ) to collect cells or tissue from sb's body for use in medical experiments or operations :
She had her eggs harvested and frozen for her own future use.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English hærfest autumn , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch herfst and German Herbst , from an Indo-European root shared by Latin carpere pluck and Greek karpos fruit.