# cultivate

Pronunciation: say "KUL-ti-vayt" /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/

## Verb

1. To grow plants, particularly crops, by preparing the land and tending them as they develop.
   - Simple: To grow plants, especially food crops, by planting them and taking care of them.
   - _Local farmers cultivate wheat across thousands of acres in the valley._
   - _They have cultivated olive trees on these hills for generations._
2. To nurture, foster, or develop something such as a skill, quality, or relationship through deliberate care.
   - Simple: To help a skill, feeling, or relationship grow stronger by giving it care and time.
   - _She worked for years to cultivate a reputation for honesty._
   - _Diplomats cultivate relationships with foreign officials long before negotiations begin._
3. To turn or stir the soil to prepare it for planting, or to control weeds growing between crop rows.
   - Simple: To break up and stir the soil to get it ready for planting or to kill weeds between crops.
   - _The farmer cultivated the field thoroughly before the spring planting._
   - _Tractors cultivate the rows to uproot weeds without harming the crops._

## Origin

From Medieval Latin cultivātus, from cultivō ("to till, cultivate") and cultīvus ("tilled"), which trace back to Latin colō ("to till, cultivate") and ultimately to the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷel- ("to move; to turn around"). Cognates include Ancient Greek πέλω (pélō) and Sanskrit चरति (cárati).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cultivate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).