Entry Word: cultivate

Function: verb

Meaning: 1 to come to have gradually <cultivated a taste for opera> — see develop 2
2 to help the growth or development of <cultivated an enduring interest in learning among his students over the years> — see foster 1
3 to look after or assist the growth of by labor and care <I plan to cultivate beans and peas this year> — see grow 1
4 to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on <we ought to cultivate the field out back> — see farm