fertilise
/'fə:tilaiz/ Cách viết khác : (fertilise) /'fə:tilaiz/
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To introduce semen into (a female) to initiate reproduction.
- To provide soil or plants with substances (fertilizers) that promote growth and increase fertility.
- To make something more fruitful, productive, or intellectually stimulating.
Usage and Examples
- Verb:
- The farmer will fertilise the field before planting the corn. (This means the farmer will add nutrients to the soil.)
- In biology class, we learned how a sperm cell fertilises an egg cell. (This refers to the biological process of conception.)
- Reading widely fertilised her mind with new ideas. (This is a metaphorical use meaning to make productive or enrich.)
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- "Fertilise" vs. "Fertilize": "Fertilise" is the standard spelling in British English, while "fertilize" is used in American English. Both have identical meanings.
- The term is often used in both literal (agricultural, biological) and figurative (intellectual, creative) contexts.
Variants and Related Words
- Fertiliser/Fertilizer (n): A chemical or natural substance added to soil to increase its fertility.
- He spread organic fertiliser on the garden.
- Fertilisation/Fertilization (n): The action or process of fertilising.
- The fertilisation of the egg occurs in the fallopian tube.
- Fertile (adj): Capable of producing abundant vegetation or offspring; intellectually productive.
- Fertile soil; a fertile imagination.
Synonyms
- Enrich: To improve the quality or fertility of something.
- Inseminate: To introduce semen into (a female) (specifically for the biological sense).
- Feed: To provide with nutrients (often for plants).
- Stimulate: To encourage development or increased activity (figurative sense).
Antonyms
- Sterilise: To make free from bacteria or living microorganisms; to make infertile.
- Deplete: To use up the supply or resources of; to reduce fertility.
- Exhaust: To drain of strength or resources, such as soil nutrients.
Common Collocations and Phrases
- Fertilise the soil/land/lawn: The most common agricultural/gardening usage.
- Fertilise an egg/ovum: The standard biological term for the conception process.
- Fertilise the mind/imagination: A common metaphorical phrase for stimulating creative thought.
Verb
-
introduce semen into (a female)
-
provide with fertilizers or add nutrients to
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We should fertilize soil if we want to grow healthy plants
-
-
make fertile or productive
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The course fertilized her imagination
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