fertile

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin fertilis, from ferre to carry, bear — more at bear Date: 15th century 1. a. producing or bearing fruit in great quantities ; productive b. characterized by great resourcefulness of thought or imagination ; inventive <

a fertile mind

> c. obsolete plentiful 2. a. (1) capable of sustaining abundant plant growth <

fertile soil

> (2) affording abundant possibilities for growth or development <

damp bathrooms are fertile ground for fungi —Consumer Reports

> <

a fertile area for research

> b. capable of growing or developing <

a fertile egg

> c. (1) capable of producing fruit (2) of an anther containing pollen (3) developing spores or spore-bearing organs d. capable of breeding or reproducing 3. capable of being converted into fissionable material <

fertile uranium 238

> • fertilely adverb • fertileness noun Synonyms: fertile, fecund, fruitful, prolific mean producing or capable of producing offspring or fruit. fertile implies the power to reproduce in kind or to assist in reproduction and growth <

fertile soil

>; applied figuratively, it suggests readiness of invention and development <

a fertile imagination

>. fecund emphasizes abundance or rapidity in bearing fruit or offspring <

a fecund herd

>. fruitful adds to fertile and fecund the implication of desirable or useful results <

fruitful research

>. prolific stresses rapidity of spreading or multiplying by or as if by natural reproduction <

a prolific writer

>.