cultivate
/ˈkʌltɪveɪt/ verb
Forms cultivates cultivating cultivated
- verb To grow plants, notably crops. “Most farmers in this region cultivate maize.”
- verb (figurative) To nurture; to foster; to tend. “They tried to cultivate an interest in learning among their students.”
- verb To turn or stir soil in preparation for planting or as a method of weed control between growing crop plants.
Synonyms
crop work educate school train civilize civilise domesticate naturalize naturalise tame
Etymology
From Medieval Latin cultivātus, perfect passive participle of cultivō (“till, cultivate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from cultīvus (“tilled”), from Latin cultus, perfect passive participle of colō (“till, cultivate”), which comes from earlier *quelō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to move; to turn (around)”). Cognates include Ancient Greek πέλω (pélō) and Sanskrit चरति (cárati). The same Proto-Indo-European root also gave Latin in-quil-īnus (“inhabitant”) and anculus (“servant”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To bestow attention, care, and labor upon, with a view to valuable returns; to till; to fertilize; as, to cultivate soil.
- verb To direct special attention to; to devote time and thought to; to foster; to cherish.
Etymology [LL. cultivatus, p.p. of cultivare to cultivate, fr. cultivus cultivated, fr. L. cultus, p.p. of colere to till, cultivate. Cf. Colony.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cultivate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details