- Main Entry:
- fer·tile
- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈfər-təl\
- Function:
- 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> cobsolete : plentiful2 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 reproducing3: capable of being converted into fissionable material <fertile uranium 238>
—
fer·tile·ly \-təl-(l)ē\ adverb —
fer·tile·ness \-təl-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>.
