cultivate

Meaning

1. To grow plants, notably crops.
2. (figuratively) To nurture; to foster; to tend.
3. To turn or stir soil in preparation for planting or as a method of weed control between growing crop plants.

Synonyms

grow

farm

till

plant

🌱

raise

educate

develop

plow

tame

plough

civilize

foster

work

dig

sow

refine

care for

train

🚋

civilise

culture

rear

crop

nurture

humanize

clear land

hoe

advance

reclaim

teach

breed

improve

encourage

work at

hone

domesticate

school

🏫

support

garden

further

nourish

farmland

farming

naturalise

naturalize

ennoble

embroider

elaborate

broaden

effort

dress

👗

Translations

cultiver

coltivare

cultivar

cultivar

kultivieren

anbauen

conrear

labourer

bebauen

bebouwen

καλλιεργώ

allevare

kweken

cultivar

bewerken

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkʌltɪveɪt/

Etymology

Cognate with Ancient Greek: πέλω

Cognate with Sanskrit: चरति

Cognate with Latin: inquilinus

In summary

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”).