2 entries found for fertile.
To select an entry, click on it.

fertile cross-fertilization

Main Entry: fer·tile
Pronunciation: frt-l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English fertile "bearing in abundance, productive," from early French fertile and Latin fertilis (both same meaning), from Latin ferre "to bear, carry, yield, produce" --related to ¹DEFER, TRANSFER
1 : producing vegetation or crops plentifully : RICH <fertile farmland>
2 : producing thoughts and ideas abundantly <a fertile mind>
3 a : capable of growing and developing <a fertile seed> b : capable of reproducing or of producing reproductive cells <a fertile bull> <fertile fungal hyphae>
- fer·til·i·ty /()fr-til-t-/ noun
synonyms FERTILE, FRUITFUL, PROLIFIC mean producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit. FERTILE suggests having the power to reproduce or helping in reproduction and growth <the fertile soil of the farm states>. FRUITFUL stresses the yielding of desirable or useful results <fruitful methods of increasing the corn harvest>. PROLIFIC stresses the power to reproduce and spread rapidly <rabbits are prolific animals>.