fertilize — [fʉrt′ l īz΄] vt. fertilized, fertilizing 1. to make fertile; make fruitful or productive; enrich [nitrates fertilize soil] 2. to spread fertilizer on 3. Biol. to make (the female reproductive cell or female individual) fruitful by pollinating,… … English World dictionary
fertilize — 1640s, make fertile; see FERTILE (Cf. fertile) + IZE (Cf. ize). Its biological sense of unite with an egg cell is first recorded 1859. Related: Fertilized; fertilizing … Etymology dictionary
fertilize — (Amer.) fer·ti·lize || fÉœrtlaɪz / fÉœËtɪ v. impregnate, inseminate; enrich the soil by the addition of organic or chemical substances (also fertilise) … English contemporary dictionary
fertilize — [v] make ready to bear, produce beget, breed, compost, cover, dress, enrich, fecundate, feed, fructify, generate, germinate, impregnate, inseminate, lime, make fruitful, make pregnant, manure, mulch, pollinate, procreate, propagate, top dress,… … New thesaurus
fertilize — (also fertilise) ► VERB 1) cause (an egg, female animal, or plant) to develop a new individual by introducing male reproductive material. 2) add fertilizer to (soil or land). DERIVATIVES fertilization noun … English terms dictionary
fertilize — verb Fertilize is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑sperm Fertilize is used with these nouns as the object: ↑egg, ↑field, ↑soil … Collocations dictionary
fertilize — UK [ˈfɜː(r)təlaɪz] / US [ˈfɜrtəˌlaɪz] verb [transitive] Word forms fertilize : present tense I/you/we/they fertilize he/she/it fertilizes present participle fertilizing past tense fertilized past participle fertilized 1) biology to provide the… … English dictionary
fertilize — transitive verb ( ized; izing) Date: 1621 to make fertile: as a. to apply a fertilizer to < fertilize land > b. to cause the fertilization of • fertilizable adjective … New Collegiate Dictionary
fertilize — fertilizable, adj. fertilizability, n. /ferr tl uyz /, v.t., fertilized, fertilizing. 1. Biol. a. to render (the female gamete) capable of development by uniting it with the male gamete. b. to fecundate or impregnate (an animal or plant). 2. to… … Universalium
fertilize — verb a) To make (the soil) more fertile by adding nutrients to it. to fertilize ones imagination b) To make more creative or intellectually productive … Wiktionary
