verb
Meaning 1
To grow plants, notably crops.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Most farmers in this region cultivate maize.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
cultivate
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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British, Southern, Standard: /ˈkʌltɪvɛjt/
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Northern-England: /ˈkʊltɪveɪt/
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Scotland: /ˈkʌltɪvet/
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Wales: /ˈkʌltɪveːt/ without the pane–pain merger
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Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈkɐltəvæɪt/
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CMU ARPABET: K AH1 L T AH0 V EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To nurture; to foster; to tend.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Examples
- They tried to cultivate an interest in learning among their students.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To turn or stir soil in preparation for planting or as a method of weed control between growing crop plants.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
adapt (a wild plant or unclaimed land) to the environment
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- domesticate oats
- tame the soil
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: domesticate, naturalize, naturalise, tame
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: adapt, accommodate
verb
Meaning 5
prepare for crops
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Work the soil
- cultivate the land
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: crop, work
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: fix, prepare, set up, ready, gear up, set
Narrower terms: overcrop, overcultivate
verb
Meaning 6
foster the growth of
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Narrower terms: grow, raise, farm, produce
verb
Meaning 7
teach or refine to be discriminative in taste or judgment
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Cultivate your musical taste
- Train your tastebuds
- She is well schooled in poetry
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: educate, school, train, civilize, civilise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: polish, refine, fine-tune, down
Narrower terms: sophisticate
History
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”).
Across languages
Translations
138 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Azerbaijani: yetişdirmək — grow plants, notably crops
- Azerbaijani: yetirmək — grow plants, notably crops
- Azerbaijani: bozartmaq — grow plants, notably crops
- Azerbaijani: becərmək — grow plants, notably crops
- Bulgarian: отглеждам (otgleždam) — grow plants, notably crops
- Catalan: conrear — grow plants, notably crops
- Catalan: cultivar — grow plants, notably crops
- Chinese Mandarin: 耕種 /耕种 (gēngzhòng) — grow plants, notably crops
- Chinese Mandarin: 種植 /种植 (zhòngzhí) — grow plants, notably crops
- Ngazidja Comorian: ulima — grow plants, notably crops
- Czech: obdělávat — grow plants, notably crops
- Danish: dyrke — grow plants, notably crops
- Dutch: telen — grow plants, notably crops
- Dutch: verbouwen — grow plants, notably crops
- Esperanto: kulturi — grow plants, notably crops
- Finnish: viljellä — grow plants, notably crops
- French: cultiver — grow plants, notably crops
- Galician: cultivar — grow plants, notably crops
- Galician: traballar — grow plants, notably crops
- German: kultivieren — grow plants, notably crops
- German: anbauen — grow plants, notably crops
- Hungarian: termeszt — grow plants, notably crops
- Hungarian: tenyészt — grow plants, notably crops
- Hungarian: szaporít — grow plants, notably crops
- Ingrian: viljellä — grow plants, notably crops
- Interlingua: cultivar — grow plants, notably crops
- Irish: saothraigh — grow plants, notably crops
- Italian: coltivare — grow plants, notably crops
- Japanese: 栽培する (saibai suru) — grow plants, notably crops
- Kapampangan: mangambul — grow plants, notably crops
- Khmer: ធ្វើកសិកម្ម (tvəə ka’se’kam) — grow plants, notably crops
- Korean: 갈다 (galda) — grow plants, notably crops
- Korean: 재배하다 (jaebaehada) — grow plants, notably crops
- Central Kurdish: کشتوکاڵ کردن (kiştukall kirdin) — grow plants, notably crops
- Latin: colō — grow plants, notably crops
- Macedonian: одгле́дува (odgléduva) — grow plants, notably crops
- Macedonian: о́дгледа (ódgleda) — grow plants, notably crops
- Māori: ngaki — grow plants, notably crops
- Māori: whakatupu — grow plants, notably crops
- Māori: tāmata — grow plants, notably crops
- Norman: tchultiver — grow plants, notably crops
- Norwegian Bokmål: kultivere — grow plants, notably crops
- Norwegian Bokmål: dyrke — grow plants, notably crops
- Polish: kultywować — grow plants, notably crops
- Polish: uprawiać — grow plants, notably crops
- Polish: uprawić — grow plants, notably crops
- Portuguese: cultivar — grow plants, notably crops
- Portuguese: plantar — grow plants, notably crops
- Russian: выра́щивать (vyráščivatʹ) — grow plants, notably crops
- Russian: вы́растить (výrastitʹ) — grow plants, notably crops
- Russian: культиви́ровать (kulʹtivírovatʹ) — grow plants, notably crops
- Scottish Gaelic: àitich — grow plants, notably crops
- Spanish: cultivar — grow plants, notably crops
- Swedish: odla — grow plants, notably crops
- Tày: canh hấy — grow plants, notably crops
- Ukrainian: культивува́ти (kulʹtyvuváty) — grow plants, notably crops
- Ukrainian: виро́щувати (vyróščuvaty) — grow plants, notably crops
- Ukrainian: ви́ростити (výrostyty) — grow plants, notably crops
- Vietnamese: cày cấy — grow plants, notably crops
- Vietnamese: canh tác — grow plants, notably crops
- Welsh: amaethu — grow plants, notably crops
- Zazaki: cı nayen — grow plants, notably crops
- Zazaki: cı resnen — grow plants, notably crops
- Azerbaijani: bəsləmək — nurture
- Bulgarian: подхранвам (podhranvam) — nurture
- Catalan: conrear — nurture
- Chinese Mandarin: 培育 (péiyù) — nurture
- Chinese Mandarin: 培養 /培养 (péiyǎng) — nurture
- Danish: pleje — nurture
- Dutch: cultiveren — nurture
- Dutch: verzorgen — nurture
- Finnish: herättää — nurture
- French: cultiver — nurture
- German: kultivieren — nurture
- German: pflegen — nurture
- Hebrew: טיפח (tipéakh) — nurture
- Hungarian: ápol — nurture
- Hungarian: tart — nurture
- Hungarian: űz — nurture
- Hungarian: kultivál — nurture
- Hungarian: művel — nurture
- Hungarian: gyakorol — nurture
- Hungarian: fejleszt — nurture
- Hungarian: csiszol — nurture
- Hungarian: palléroz — nurture
- Italian: coltivare — nurture
- Japanese: 養う (yashinau) — nurture
- Khmer: ចម្រើនលូតលាស់ (jɑɑmraən luut loah) — nurture
- Korean: 갈고닦다 (galgodakda) — nurture
- Korean: 연마하다 (yeonmahada) — nurture
- Latin: colō — nurture
- Macedonian: пре́несе (prénese) — nurture
- Macedonian: прене́сува (prenésuva) — nurture
- Norman: tchultiver — nurture
- Norwegian Bokmål: dyrke — nurture
- Polish: pielęgnować — nurture
- Portuguese: cultivar — nurture
- Portuguese: alimentar — nurture
- Russian: культиви́ровать (kulʹtivírovatʹ) — nurture
- Ukrainian: культивува́ти (kulʹtyvuváty) — nurture
- Zazaki: wari kerden — nurture
- Bulgarian: обработвам (obrabotvam) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Bulgarian: култивирам (kultiviram) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Chinese Mandarin: 耕種 /耕种 (gēngzhòng) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Chinese Mandarin: 種植 /种植 (zhòngzhí) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Dutch: bewerken — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Esperanto: kultivi — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Finnish: muokata — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Finnish: (to plough) kyntää — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Finnish: (to harrow) äestää — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- French: cultiver — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- German: bestellen — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Ancient Greek: ἐξεργάζομαι (exergázomai) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Hebrew: עיבד (ibéd) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Hungarian: művel — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Irish: rómhair — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Italian: coltivare — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Japanese: 耕す (tagayasu) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Japanese: 耕作する (kōsaku suru) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Korean: 갈다 (galda) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Macedonian: обрабо́тува (obrabótuva) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Macedonian: обра́боти (obráboti) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Māori: pako — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Māori: pāpako — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Māori: tāmata — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Norman: tchultiver — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Norwegian Bokmål: dyrke — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Polish: kultywować — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Polish: obrabiać — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Polish: obrobić — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Portuguese: lavrar — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Russian: возде́лывать (vozdélyvatʹ) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Russian: возде́лать (vozdélatʹ) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Russian: обраба́тывать (obrabátyvatʹ) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Russian: обрабо́тать (obrabótatʹ) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Ukrainian: обробля́ти (obrobljáty) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Ukrainian: оброби́ти (obrobýty) — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
- Zazaki: resnayen — turn or stir soil in preparation for planting
Real reading context