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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

arable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈæɹəbl̩/

Etymology

From Middle English arable, from Middle French arable, from Old French arable, from Latin arābilis, formed from arō (“plow”) + -bilis (“able to be”). Cognate with earable (“arable”).

Meanings

  1. Of land, able to be plowed or tilled, capable of growing crops (traditionally contrasted with pasturable lands such as heaths).
    • And again, since no animal now stole, it was unnecessary to fence off pasture from arable land […] 1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter VI, in Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC, page 50:
  2. (qualifier:NGO jargon) Of land, under cultivation (within any quinquennial period) for the production of crops sown and harvested within the same agricultural year (contrasted with permanently-cropped lands such as orchards).

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more arable Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most arable Degree=Sup lexicographic

Antonyms

inarable

Deriveds

nonarable · arability

Translations (41)

ro arabil (suitable for cultivation) · cmn 可耕的 (suitable for cultivation) · it arabile (suitable for cultivation) · pl orny (suitable for cultivation) · pt agricultável (suitable for cultivation) · la arvus (suitable for cultivation) · hu előkészített (suitable for cultivation) · es cultivable (suitable for cultivation) · bg обработваем (suitable for cultivation) · az əkinə yararlı (suitable for cultivation) · ga arúil (suitable for cultivation) · cs orný (suitable for cultivation) · rsk ораци (suitable for cultivation) · bg орна (suitable for cultivation) · enm erable (suitable for cultivation) · da dyrkbar (suitable for cultivation) · pt arável (suitable for cultivation) · az əkinəyararlı (suitable for cultivation) · sv odlingsbar (suitable for cultivation) · ia arabile (suitable for cultivation) · hu megművelt (suitable for cultivation) · nl bebouwbaar (suitable for cultivation) · nb dyrkbar (suitable for cultivation) · de anbaufähig (suitable for cultivation) · fr arable (suitable for cultivation) · es arable (suitable for cultivation) · ru па́хотный (suitable for cultivation) · enm arable (suitable for cultivation) · hu művelhető (suitable for cultivation) · mi tāmata (suitable for cultivation) · de urbar (suitable for cultivation) · nn dyrkbar (suitable for cultivation) · tr tarıma elverişli (suitable for cultivation) · de bebaubar (suitable for cultivation) · cmn 耕地 (suitable for cultivation) · eo kultivebla (suitable for cultivation) · fi viljelyskelpoinen (suitable for cultivation) · id layak tanam (suitable for cultivation) · ca cultivable (suitable for cultivation) · fr cultivable (suitable for cultivation) · ml കൃഷിയോഗ്യമായ (suitable for cultivation)

arable en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈæɹəbl̩/

Etymology

From Middle English arable, from Middle French arable, from Old French arable, from Latin arābilis, formed from arō (“plow”) + -bilis (“able to be”). Cognate with earable (“arable”).

Meanings

  1. (uncountable, usually) Land that can be cropped (i.e., land that is arable); land that is being cropped (i.e., land that is in the cropping phase of a crop rotation, currently being cropped rather than used as pasture or fallow).
    • Arrangements for the drainage of this piece of arable were commenced last summer 1932, Dorothy L. Sayers, chapter XXII, in Have His Carcase:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
arables Number=Plur lexicographic