cultivate
Verb
- foster the growth of
- prepare for crops
- "cultivate the land"
- teach or refine to be discriminative in taste or judgment
- "Cultivate your musical taste"
- adapt (a wild plant or unclaimed land) to the environment
- To grow plants, notably crops.
- To nurture; to foster; to tend.
- To turn or stir soil in preparation for planting or as a method of weed control between growing crop plants.
Examples
- Most farmers in this region cultivate maize.
- They tried to cultivate an interest in learning among their students.
Origin / Etymology
From Medieval Latin cultivātus, perfect passive participle of cultivō (“till, cultivate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from cultīvus (“tilled”), from Latin cultus, perfect passive participle of colō (“till, cultivate”), which comes from earlier *quelō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to move; to turn (around)”). Cognates include Ancient Greek πέλω (pélō) and Sanskrit चरति (cárati). The same Proto-Indo-European root also gave Latin in-quil-īnus (“inhabitant”) and anculus (“servant”).
Synonyms
civilise, civilize, crop, domesticate, educate, naturalise, naturalize, school, tame, train, work
Scrabble Score: 14
cultivate: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordcultivate: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
cultivate: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary