cultivate

CEFRB2

/ˈkʌltɪveɪt/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To prepare land and grow plants on it.

  2. 02

    verb

    To develop a skill, relationship, or quality.

Examples

  • Picture books will cultivate the minds of children.

  • You must cultivate your mind.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To nurture; to foster; to tend.

  2. To turn or stir soil in preparation for planting or as a method of weed control between growing crop plants.

  3. To grow plants, notably crops.

More examples

In context

  • Most farmers in this region cultivate maize.

  • They tried to cultivate an interest in learning among their students.

  • My hobby is gathering the spores of some of the most delicious of the wild varieties of mushrooms, such as morels, giant puffballs and woods oysters, then cultivating them.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Diligent farmers blank the land every year to grow crops.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

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”).