arable

1 of 2

adjective

ar·​a·​ble ˈa-rə-bəl 

ˈer-ə-

1

: fit for or used for the growing of crops

arable land

2

British : engaged in, produced by, or being the cultivation of arable land

arable farming

arable farmers

arability

ˌa-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

ˌer-ə-

noun

arable

2 of 2

noun

chiefly British

: land fit or used for the growing of crops

also : a plot of such land

the village arable of Anglo-Saxon times

Examples of arable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

At both spatial scales, forested landscapes had the highest share of deciduous forests and the greatest connectivity of forest patches, hedgerows, and large groups of trees, whereas non-forested landscapes had a relatively large proportion of arable lands and the greatest vineyard-forest distances. —Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

News accounts of fires, floods, erupting volcanoes, plagues, the loss of arable land, and mass extinctions evoke a planet in collapse. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

Noun

About 13% of the land is arable, with microclimates suited to nearly every crop. —The Economist, 28 May 2020

Today, the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon run the estate, spanning 5,000 acres with 4,000 acres of arable farming. —Rachel King, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin arabilis, from arare to plow; akin to Old English erian to plow, Greek aroun

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1576, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for arable

• bearable
• parable
• terrible
• wearable
• repairable
• unbearable

Kids Definition

arable

adjective

ar·​a·​ble

ˈar-ə-bəl

: fit for or cultivated by plowing : suitable for producing crops

arable soil

arability

ˌar-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē

noun