cultivate

Etymology

From Medieval Latin cultivātus, perfect passive participle of cultivō (“till, cultivate”), 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

  1. To grow plants, notably crops.
    Most farmers in this region cultivate maize.
  2. (figurative) To nurture; to foster; to tend.
    They tried to cultivate an interest in learning among their students.
    […] 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. 2021-06-07, Mark Landler, “As a Tense Summer Looms, Northern Ireland Braces”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
  3. To turn or stir soil in preparation for planting.

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