verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
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
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/ˈfɜː(ɹ)tɪlaɪz/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:F ER1 T AH0 L AY2 Z
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To make (the soil) more fertile by adding nutrients to it.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To make more creative or intellectually productive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Examples
to fertilize one's imagination
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To cause to produce offspring through insemination; to inseminate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
introduce semen into (a female)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.