Definition

1. Verb:
   • To make (soil or land) more fertile or productive by adding nutrients or other substances: This is the most common meaning, referring to the agricultural practice of enriching soil to support plant growth.
   • To cause (an egg, seed, or plant) to develop a new individual by introducing male reproductive material: This biological meaning refers to the process of uniting male and female gametes to initiate reproduction.
   • To make (something) more fruitful, productive, or creative: This figurative meaning describes stimulating development or growth in a non-physical sense.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • Farmers fertilize their fields in the spring to ensure a good harvest.
  • The bee helps to fertilize the flower as it collects pollen.
  • Reading widely can fertilize a writer's mind with new ideas.

Advanced Usage

• "to fertilize something with something": to add a specific substance to soil.
  • They fertilize the garden with organic compost every autumn.
• In a biological context: Often used in the passive voice.
  • The egg must be fertilized by a sperm cell to begin development.

Variants and Related Words

• Fertilizer (n): A substance (natural or chemical) added to soil to increase its fertility.
  • He bought a bag of nitrogen-rich fertilizer for the lawn.
• Fertilization (n): The action or process of fertilizing.
  • The fertilization of the ovum occurs in the fallopian tube.
• Fertile (adj): (Of soil or land) producing abundant vegetation; (of a person, animal, or plant) able to conceive young or produce seed.
  • The fertile valley supports many farms.

Synonyms

• Enrich: To improve the quality or fertility of something.
• Inseminate: To introduce semen into (a female), a more specific synonym for the biological sense.
• Pollinate: To convey pollen to (a stigma, ovule, flower, or plant) for fertilization (a related but distinct biological process).

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Fertilize" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. The verb is typically used transitively.)

Related Idioms

(Note: There are no common idioms directly centered on the verb "fertilize." The related noun "fertilizer" is sometimes used informally.) - "...is like fertilizer for...": Used figuratively to say something greatly promotes growth or development. - Constructive criticism is like fertilizer for personal growth.

Verb

1. introduce semen into (a female)
2. make fertile or productive
   • The course fertilized her imagination
3. provide with fertilizers or add nutrients to
   • We should fertilize soil if we want to grow healthy plants