fer·tile (fûr tl)adj. 1. Biology a. Capable of initiating, sustaining, or supporting reproduction. b. Capable of growing and developing; able to mature: a fertile egg. 2. Botany Bearing functional reproductive structures such as seeds or fruit or material such as spores or pollen. 3. Bearing or producing crops or vegetation abundantly; fruitful. 4. Rich in material needed to sustain plant growth: fertile soil. 5. Highly or continuously productive; prolific: a fertile imagination; a fertile source of new ideas. 6. Physics Capable of producing fissionable material: fertile thorium 232. [Middle English fertil, from Old French fertile, from Latin fertilis, from ferre, to bear; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.] fer tile·ly adv.fer tile·ness n.Synonyms: fertile, fecund, fruitful, productive, prolific These adjectives mean marked by great productivity: fertile farmland; a fecund imagination; fruitful efforts; a productive meeting; a prolific writer. |
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|