cultivate
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
cultivate
- /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/ US, UK
- /ˈkʌltɪvɛjt/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ˈkʊltɪveɪt/ Northern England
- /ˈkʌltɪvet/ Scotland
- /ˈkʌltɪveːt/ Wales
- /ˈkɐltəvæɪt/ Australia, New Zealand
Where it comes from
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”).
verb cultivates · cultivating · cultivated
- To grow plants, notably crops. Most farmers in this region cultivate maize.
- To nurture; to foster; to tend. They tried to cultivate an interest in learning among their students.
- To turn or stir soil in preparation for planting or as a method of weed control between growing crop plants.
