Dictionary

cultivate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈkɐltəvæɪt/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• (US) audio
• /ˈkʊltɪveɪt/ (Northern-England)
• /ˈkʌltɪveːt/ (Wales) without the pane–pain merger
• /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈkʌltɪvet/ (Scotland)
• /ˈkʌltɪvɛjt/ (British, Southern, Standard)

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”).

Meanings

1. To grow plants, notably crops.
   • Most farmers in this region cultivate maize.
   • So unhealthy is this valley, which is the home of large game, that whole kraals full of people who have tried to cultivate the rich land, have died in it of fever, or fled away leaving their crops unreaped. 1917, H. Rider Haggard, Finished:
   • 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. 1958, Journal of Lifetime Living, volume 24, page 15:
   • In Ch'iung-hai Hsien of the same island, this year "Chen-chu-ai" has been cultivated over vast areas, yielding large increases and as 2,730 tons of the breed already harvested in June have been sent to Chekiang province, it is expected that it will be cultivated widely in Chekiang in 1966. 1965 [1965 July 15], “The "Kwang-ch'ang-ai" and "Chen-chu-ai" Breeds”, in AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINED BY CROP IMPROVEMENT IN CHINA, CIA, published 2003, Document Number: CIA-RDP78-04546A003200010004-4, page 6:
2. (figuratively) To nurture; to foster; to tend.
   • The mix of ballet vocabulary, modern techniques and African steps is familiar, but the extent to which Mr. Rhoden packs — and overpacks — phrases, cultivates warp-speed delivery and hyperextends every possible hip jut and arabesque is, thank goodness, something special to Complexions. 2007 November 23, Claudia La Rocco, “Ballet and African Steps, Delivered at Warp Speed”, in The New York Times:
   • […] after four years in which President Donald J. Trump had cultivated Mr. Johnson and expressed sympathy for Britain in its bitter divorce with the European Union. 2021 June 7, Mark Landler, “As a Tense Summer Looms, Northern Ireland Braces”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • Left also to himself by guardians[…] he cultivated more his imagination than his judgment 1819, John William Polidori, The Vampyre:
   • They tried to cultivate an interest in learning among their students.
3. To turn or stir soil in preparation for planting or as a method of weed control between growing crop plants.

Forms

Deriveds

cultivar · cocultivate · overcultivate · cultivation · cultivated · cultivator · uncultivated · cultivatable · miscultivate · uncultivate · subcultivate · cultivable · recultivate

Translations (138)

ko 갈고닦다 (nurture) · zza cı resnen (grow plants, notably crops) · grc ἐξεργάζομαι (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · zza resnayen (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · de pflegen (nurture) · ru выра́щивать (grow plants, notably crops) · cmn 培養 /培养 (nurture) · uk виро́щувати (grow plants, notably crops) · az bəsləmək (nurture) · pt plantar (grow plants, notably crops) · cmn 培育 (nurture) · ja 栽培する (grow plants, notably crops) · pt cultivar (grow plants, notably crops) · cmn 種植 /种植 (grow plants, notably crops) · fr cultiver (grow plants, notably crops) · mi whakatupu (grow plants, notably crops) · hu ápol (nurture) · ca conrear (grow plants, notably crops) · az yetişdirmək (grow plants, notably crops) · uk обробля́ти (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · mk прене́сува (nurture) · nrf tchultiver (nurture) · nl cultiveren (nurture) · gd àitich (grow plants, notably crops) · mi ngaki (grow plants, notably crops) · ga rómhair (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · hu fejleszt (nurture) · hu termeszt (grow plants, notably crops) · uk ви́ростити (grow plants, notably crops) · mi pāpako (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · ga saothraigh (grow plants, notably crops) · ru возде́лывать (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · ko 연마하다 (nurture) · bg обработвам (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · he עיבד (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · eo kultivi (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · cy amaethu (grow plants, notably crops) · de kultivieren (grow plants, notably crops) · pl uprawiać (grow plants, notably crops) · izh viljellä (grow plants, notably crops) · bg отглеждам (grow plants, notably crops) · ko 갈다 (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · pl kultywować (grow plants, notably crops) · es cultivar (grow plants, notably crops) · km ធ្វើកសិកម្ម (grow plants, notably crops) · fi (to harrow) äestää (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · nb dyrke (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · pl obrobić (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · pt lavrar (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · de kultivieren (nurture) · pl obrabiać (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · zza cı nayen (grow plants, notably crops) · nb dyrke (nurture) · vi canh tác (grow plants, notably crops) · uk оброби́ти (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · ca cultivar (grow plants, notably crops) · ja 耕す (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · ko 재배하다 (grow plants, notably crops) · pt alimentar (nurture) · nb kultivere (grow plants, notably crops) · nl verzorgen (nurture) · la colō (grow plants, notably crops) · vi cày cấy (grow plants, notably crops) · ru возде́лать (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · mk о́дгледа (grow plants, notably crops) · da pleje (nurture) · fi (to plough) kyntää (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · mk одгле́дува (grow plants, notably crops) · cmn 耕種 /耕种 (grow plants, notably crops) · mi pako (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · fr cultiver (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · uk культивува́ти (grow plants, notably crops) · mk обрабо́тува (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · ru обрабо́тать (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · ru вы́растить (grow plants, notably crops) · hu művel (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · bg култивирам (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · de bestellen (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · nl bewerken (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · gl traballar (grow plants, notably crops) · nl telen (grow plants, notably crops) · zza wari kerden (nurture) · eo kulturi (grow plants, notably crops) · ja 養う (nurture) · ca conrear (nurture) · ko 갈다 (grow plants, notably crops) · hu űz (nurture) · mi tāmata (grow plants, notably crops) · az bozartmaq (grow plants, notably crops) · cs obdělávat (grow plants, notably crops) · pl pielęgnować (nurture) · ru культиви́ровать (nurture) · fi viljellä (grow plants, notably crops) · nl verbouwen (grow plants, notably crops) · nb dyrke (grow plants, notably crops) · ru культиви́ровать (grow plants, notably crops) · sv odla (grow plants, notably crops) · ckb کشتوکاڵ کردن (grow plants, notably crops) · hu palléroz (nurture) · az becərmək (grow plants, notably crops) · pam mangambul (grow plants, notably crops) · ia cultivar (grow plants, notably crops) · pt cultivar (nurture) · nrf tchultiver (grow plants, notably crops) · da dyrke (grow plants, notably crops) · pl kultywować (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · fi herättää (nurture) · de anbauen (grow plants, notably crops) · km ចម្រើនលូតលាស់ (nurture) · hu tart (nurture) · hu művel (nurture) · bg подхранвам (nurture) · mk обра́боти (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · hu csiszol (nurture) · cmn 耕種 /耕种 (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · it coltivare (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · ru обраба́тывать (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · la colō (nurture) · pl uprawić (grow plants, notably crops) · it coltivare (grow plants, notably crops) · hu kultivál (nurture) · fr cultiver (nurture) · gl cultivar (grow plants, notably crops) · mk пре́несе (nurture) · zdj ulima (grow plants, notably crops) · hu szaporít (grow plants, notably crops) · it coltivare (nurture) · mi tāmata (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · fi muokata (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · nrf tchultiver (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · hu gyakorol (nurture) · uk культивува́ти (nurture) · cmn 種植 /种植 (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · tyz canh hấy (grow plants, notably crops) · ja 耕作する (turn or stir soil in preparation for planting) · he טיפח (nurture) · hu tenyészt (grow plants, notably crops) · az yetirmək (grow plants, notably crops)