cultivatev.
/ˈkʌltᵻveɪt/, U.S. /ˈkəltəˌveɪt/ 1.
a. transitive. To prepare and use (land) for growing crops; to improve and render fertile by husbandry; to till. Also intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivate or till [verb (transitive)]
begoc890
workOE
tillc1200
exercise1382
dightc1400
labourc1400
manure1416
cultive?1483
tilth1496
culture1510
trim1517
dress1526
subdue1535
toil1552
use1558
farm1570
cultivate1588
tame1601
husbandize1625
culturate1631
to take in1845
1588 R. Parke tr. J. G. de Mendoza Hist. Kingdome of China 6 The great & infinit number of people that there is, as well for handie craftes as for to till and cultiuate the grounde [Sp. cultiuar la tierra].
1636 E. Dacres tr. N. Machiavelli Disc. 1st Decade T. Livius i. iv. 219 Those are call'd gentlemen, that live in idlenesse yet deliciously of the profits of their estates, without having any care to cultivate their lands [It. coltiuare].
1648 J. Beaumont Psyche v. ccix. 73/2 Is this a time for thee to cultivate?.. E'n delve no more for Roots.
1681 T. Otway Souldiers Fortune v. i. 57 'Tis great pity so good a Husband-man as you should want a Farm to cultivate.
1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 301 A Country infinitely populous, but miserably cultivated.
1796 J. Morse Amer. Universal Geogr. (new ed.) II. 551 Most of the rivers of Bengal..have their banks cultivated with rice.
1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) II. 321 The Athenians returned to cultivate their fields.
1869 Jrnl. Anthropol. Soc. 7 p. ccxxviii Those hours in which the English labourer adorns his humble dwelling, cultivates his garden, reads some cheap but instructive publication, [etc.].
1902 G. S. Whitmore Last Maori War i. 2 Such spots as they have annually cleared and cultivated are in the narrow valleys.
1957 P. Worsley Trumpet shall Sound vi. 120 The Japanese organized work-teams..to cultivate huge gardens for their own and the natives' food-supply.
1981 K. Wilber Up from Eden v. 88 For literally millions of years men and women wandered the face of the earth,..without the ability, understanding, or desire to farm and cultivate.
2004 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 4 Nov. 49/2 Originally, the Roman colonus was simply a farmer who cultivated the land.
b. transitive. To use (a body of water) for the purpose of raising fish or shellfish.
ΚΠ
1713 R. North Disc. Fish & Fish-ponds Introd. sig. A2v I wish any Gentleman, who hath employ'd his Money and Pains in cultivating Waters in Countries that are bless'd with Springs and Rivers, would..set down his Experience.
1839 Knickerbocker Sept. 260 This excellent community has been divided into two great classes, those who cultivate the land, and those who cultivate the water.
1890 J. R. Philpots Oysters I. xxiv. 509 We can..call the attention of those nations who have surpassed us in the art of cultivating waters to the progress which ostriculture has made on our shores.
1922 Jrnl. Washington Acad. Sci. 12 118 Is it possible to cultivate the sea as we do the land, or as we do our oyster resources, or our streams and lakes by stocking with fish?
2007 J. A. Grottum & M. Beveridge in M. Halwart et al. Cage Aquaculture (U.N. F.A.O. Fisheries Techn. Paper No. 498) 130/1 The activity of cultivating the water goes back many centuries and was already described in the Far East several thousand years ago.
c. transitive. To break up or weed (the ground) with a cultivator (cultivator n. 1b). Also intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > break up land [verb (transitive)] > with cultivator
cultivate1766
1766 Compl. Farmer at Cultivator The size of the mould-boards, as well as their proper bending, depends a little upon the quality of the land intended to be cultivated.
1846 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 7 ii. 288 The stubble was ploughed, and in the spring of 1842 it was manured and grubbed, or ‘cultivated’, and sown with mangold-wurzel.
1879 Nursery 26 56 When they reached the field where the cultivator was, he hitched Nell to the traces, and left Kate to drive... In a few hours the field was cultivated.
1910 Country Gentleman 24 Nov. 1103/4 When he is ready to remove the mulching, he first cultivates between the rows, running the cultivator as closely to the rows as possible.
1973 New Scientist 19 July 144/3 The one-man unit, known as the Maxi-Cultivator, ploughs, cultivates, harrows, levels, and drains the soil.
2008 N. Hamilton Org. Gardening Techniques ii. 26/2 Mechanical cultivation uses a rotovator or cultivator to..cultivate the soil.
2.
a. transitive. To grow and improve (a plant, crop, etc.), esp. for commercial purposes.In quot. 1622 with in.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > cultivate plants or crops [verb (transitive)]
tilla1325
raisec1384
uprearc1400
nourisha1500
cherish1519
dig1526
dress1526
govern1532
manure?c1550
rear1581
nurse1594
tame1601
crop1607
cultive1614
cultivate1622
ingentle1622
tend1631
make1714
peck1728
grow1774
farm1793
culture1809
side-dress1888
double-crop1956
produce2006
1622 E. Waterhouse Declar. State Colony Virginia 8 In December last they had planted and cultiuated in Virginia Vines of all sorts.
1675 C. Cotton (title) The planters manual: being instructions for the raising, planting, and cultivating all sorts of fruit-trees.
1707 tr. P. Le Lorrain de Vallemont Curiosities in Husbandry & Gardening 4 The Plants that Adam took Pleasure to cultivate there.
1789 J. Abercrombie Compl. Kitchen Gardener 217 Rape is..cultivated in gardens principally as a small sallad herb.
1835 Gardener's Mag. May 228 At Versailles,..camellias are extensively cultivated.
1871 R. W. Dale Ten Commandments ix. 231 A rose, however you cultivate it, remains a rose.
1921 Chambers's Jrnl. Sept. 604/2 A kind of tea made from a grass which the French cultivate in their gardens.
1977 B. Pym Quartet in Autumn xv. 132 ‘Of course now most mushrooms are cultivated,’ Edwin suggested.
2005 E. N. Kozloff Plants W. Oregon 364 June grape or riverbank grape..is sometimes cultivated for its red autumn foliage.
b. transitive. To raise (a type of fish or shellfish) in water under controlled conditions, esp. for commercial purposes.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > fish-keeping, farming, or breeding > [verb (transitive)]
cultivate1804
farm1851
culture1947
1804 G. Shaw Gen. Zool. V. i. 181 The Carp is chiefly cultivated in some parts of Germany and Poland, where it forms a very considerable article of commerce.
1862 Cornhill Mag. Jan. 197 All the species of fish usually cultivated in the country.
1935 A. F. Ellis Ocean Islands & Nauru v. 41 From time immemorial a special kind of fish has been cultivated by the Nauruans in this lagoon.
1971 Daily Tel. 13 May 13/5 Families [in Uganda] are widely encouraged to cultivate their own stocks of tilapia, a fat, flat-bodied fish common throughout Africa.
1991 R. S. K. Barnes & K. H. Mann Fund. Aquatic Ecol. (ed. 2) xiii. 260/2 Hatchery and pond systems (farms), constructed for cultivating fish.
c. transitive. Biology. = culture v. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > laboratory analysis > processes > [verb (transitive)] > culturing
cultivate1867
subculture1896
culture1901
explant1914
1867 Lancet 31 Aug. 266/2 In cultivating the fungus in sugar Hallier obtained mucor and penicillium-like growths.
1891 G. S. Woodhead Bacteria & their Products x. 195 The bacilli, when obtained pure, and cultivated in fluid, grew out into very long threads.
1924 T. S. P. Strangeways Tissue Culture in Relation to Growth i. 11 The tissues of such an embryo can be readily cultivated, even if removed as much as fourteen days after the death of the animal.
1963 G. Penso & D. Balducci Tissue Cultures in Biol. Res. vi. 145 Blood cells that can be most easily cultivated are macrophages or monocytes.
1989 Serodiagnosis & Immunotherapy in Infectious Dis. 3 299/1 Treponema pallidum is one of the few major human pathogens that cannot be cultivated continuously in vitro.
2002 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 324 562/2 The objectives of our research are to develop the best methods for cultivating stem cells and for directing them to make nerve, heart, and blood cells.
3. transitive. To refine or improve (a person, the mind, abilities, etc.) by education or training.In quot. ?1631 as part of an extended metaphor.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > branch of knowledge > humanistic studies > improve the mind, cultivate [verb (transitive)]
till1393
enrich1502
refine1592
cultivate?1631
unblade1633
urbanize1642
smooth1644
culture1677
metropolitanize1870
?1631 C. More Life Sir T. More v. 170 I do not see why learning in like manner may not equally agree with both sexes; for by it, reason is cultiuated, and (as a fielde) sowed with wholesome precepts, it bringeth forth excellent fruit.
1687 J. Scott Christian Life: Pt. II (ed. 2) II. vii. 377 To cultivate its [sc. a child's] manners with good Precepts and Counsels.
1713 J. Addison Cato i. i. 11 To cultivate the wild licentious savage With wisdom, discipline, and liberal arts.
1779 E. Burke Let. 12 June in Corr. (1844) II. 273 I have endeavoured so to cultivate my mind, that [etc.].
1845 W. Russell Orthophony p. xiii The term orthophony is used to designate the art of cultivating the voice.
1879 Times 21 Apr. 5/2 If the perceptive powers of a child are not developed and cultivated.., they are not likely to be vigorous or sensitive in after years.
1902 Railway & Locomotive Engin. Nov. 487/2 I do not care how rough he is, away down under it all is the man, and you can educate him and you can cultivate him.
1982 Curriculum Inq. 12 371 Moral education..seeks to sharpen moral sensitivity and to cultivate moral reasoning.
2004 D. Scott Conscripts of Modernity v. 196 He also cultivated his mind, reading ‘Caesar's Commentaries’.
4. transitive. To promote the development or dissemination of (a branch of knowledge, communal activity, public sentiment, etc.); to foster, encourage.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > continuing > progress, advance, or further continuance > furtherance > further [verb (transitive)]
furtherc888
to bring onc1230
advancea1250
speeda1300
nourishc1300
avaunt1393
promotec1433
pasture?a1439
advantage?1459
promove1475
preferc1503
conduce1518
to set forth1528
to set forward(s)1530
to take forth1530
fillip1551
help1559
farther1570
foster1571
shoulder1577
to put forward1579
seconda1586
foment1596
hearten1598
to put on1604
fomentate1613
succeed1613
expeditea1618
producea1618
maturate1623
cultivate1641
encourage1677
push1693
forward1780
progress1780
admove1839
1641 B. Rudyerd Speech conc. Bishops sig. A2v Presbyters were the Seminaries out of which were sent labourers by the Bishops to propogate and cultivate the Gospel.
1704 P. Paxton Disc. Trade 2 For this reason all wise Governments cultivate and encourage the most promising Methods to procure and increase Wealth.
1753 C. O'Conor Diss. Hist. Ireland viii. 148 On this Foundation did they cultivate Knowledge and Christianity, both at Home and abroad.
1833 United Service Jrnl. Dec. 446 It must be the duty of every government to encourage military virtues, as well as to cultivate the science of war.
1880 B. G. Northrop Rural Improvem. 3 To cultivate public spirit and foster town pride, is an object which should enlist the sympathies of all our citizens.
1920 Bull. Univ. Maryland School Med. June 10 Next to England comes Holland in cultivating the growth of anatomy.
1957 Jrnl. Internat. Folk Music Council 9 102 The Society cultivates folk music in all its branches.
2002 P. Theroux Dark Star Safari (2003) v. 93 The present government of the Sudan had tried to cultivate anti-foreign sentiment.
5.
a. transitive. To take up or develop (an activity, habit, interest, etc.), esp. for the purpose of self-improvement.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > practice, exercise, or doing > practise or carry on [verb (transitive)]
doeOE
followOE
holda1100
found1340
exercec1374
enhaunta1382
usea1398
proceed1399
apply?c1400
practise?c1430
exercise1467
takea1500
plya1513
enure1549
prosecute1567
inurea1577
manage1579
to stand on ——1599
to carry on1638
cultivate1654
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > take care about [verb (transitive)] > attend to or cultivate
minda1400
intend1429
to look after ——1542
cultivate1654
1654 C. Wase in tr. Gratius Cynegeticon sig. D11 Perhaps in that Age Hunting was not so much cultivated by our own Countrymen.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones I. iii. ii. 158 [They] cultivate the same Superstition with the Bannians in India. View more context for this quotation
1770 J. Langhorne & W. Langhorne tr. Plutarch Lives III. 420 As to his studies, he cultivated oratory, most particularly that of the bar.
1831 Mechanics' Mag. 30 July 346/1 The work people of factories should be required..to cultivate habits of personal cleanliness.
1862 B. Brodie Psychol. Inq. II. v. 167 The higher mathematics are absolutely necessary to those who cultivate some branches of natural philosophy, as astronomy and mechanics.
1917 R. Dixon & F. E. Fitch Human Side of Trees xiv. 193 If we could only cultivate a taste for acorn flour, the trees would come into their own.
1984 J. S. Bolen Goddesses in Everywoman (1985) xii. 242 Cultivating a keenness of perception and a here-and-now focus invites Aphrodite.
2002 F. J. Cobbing in J. Barton Biblical World (2004) I. xx. 354 He cultivated an interest in social and environmental history.
b. transitive. To adopt or affect (a mode of behaviour or appearance); to establish or project (a reputation or image).
ΚΠ
1734 Gentleman's Mag. Jan. 12/2 To cultivate a solemn Behaviour and Appearance, I bought a large black Wig.
1840 C. C. Felton tr. W. Menzel German Lit. III. 87 Men had really grown effeminately soft, or, at least, cultivated sentimentality as a fashion.
1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters v. 123 As a soldier, he cultivates bluntness.
1925 Amer. Mercury Oct. 249/2 She has her hair shingled, buys heavy shoes, and cultivates a flat, boyish bosom.
1982 A. Brinkley Voices of Protest ii. 36 He continued..to cultivate a reputation as a country bumpkin and a clown.
2007 Vanity Fair Apr. 152/2 He cultivates a playboy image, driving an Aston Martin, dating beautiful women.
6. † c. intransitive. To try to develop a friendship with a person. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To try to develop (a friendship or relationship); to try to gain (someone's approval or esteem).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > take care about [verb (transitive)] > attend to or cultivate > of acquantance, relationships, etc.
cultivate1673
1673 tr. Let. States-General United Provinces 3 We have never desired any thing more then..to cultivate a Friendship..between Your Majesties Kingdom and this Republick.
1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 276 He had IX entire years to cultivate a Friendship with Themistocles.
1747 S. Richardson Clarissa I. ii. 9 He was more solicitous to cultivate her mamma's good opinion, than hers!
1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1752 I. 132 He cultivated his acquaintance.
1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. iv. 472 A desire to cultivate the friendship of the English.
1862 N. Amer. Rev. July 148 He now devoted himself to cultivating the esteem of his neighbors.
1888 W. R. Carles Life in Corea i. 7 Mr. Mayers..did his utmost..to cultivate some relations with the people and officials.
1908 Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen's Mag. Mar. 404/1 He touched on the necessity of cultivating the goodwill of the public.
1973 E. Osers tr. K. Waldheim Austrian Example iii. 45 The new regime made a point of cultivating public opinion.
2007 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 15 July xiii. 1/2 Her peers had sidelined the one-on-one date in favor of cultivating a relationship via group outings.
b. transitive. To try to win the friendship or favour of (a person), now esp. with implications of flattery.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > servile flattery or currying favour > flatter servilely or curry favour with [verb (transitive)]
flatter1340
to claw the back ofc1394
to pick a thank (also thanks)c1422
clawc1425
to claw by the sleeve1509
to claw by the backa1542
fawna1568
to make or pay (one's) court to1590
adulate1612
hug1622
sycophant1637
to make up to1701
to whip it in with1702
cultivate1706
incense1708
to wheedle in with1726
to grandfather up1747
slaver1794
toad1802
to play up to ——1809
nut1819
toady1827
bootlick1846
to suck up to1860
lickspittle1886
jolly1890
bum-suck1918
arse-lick1919
to cosy up to1937
brown-nose1948
ass-kiss1951
ass-lick1962
love-bomb1976
1706 tr. J. B. Morvan de Bellegarde Refl. upon Ridicule 215 The Great honour him, cultivate him, respect him, court him.
1796 E. Burke Let. to Noble Lord 30 I loved and cultivated him accordingly.
1813 Halcyon Luminary Aug. 371 I attended to his conversation, and found it replete with delicacy, spirit, and taste; and have ever since cultivated him as a valuable friend.
1870 B. Disraeli Lothair II. v. 48 I..felt that he was a person I should like to cultivate.
1889 Cornhill Mag. Feb. 116 I shall cultivate Sir Joseph.
1928 M. F. Dickenson Apron Strings xix. 223 Now that it was known he had lost his job.., men who had toadied and cultivated him, steered clear.
1964 C. Chaplin My Autobiogr. ix. 144 Because he was her brother I had cultivated him as a friend.
2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 3 Dec. 25/1 His contempt for journalists..did not prevent him from manipulating the media to his own ends, assiduously cultivating his influential contacts, [etc.].
ΚΠ
1772 F. Burney Early Jrnls. & Lett. (1988) I. 217 If my Father was disposed to cultivate with the World, what a delightful Acquaintance he might have!
1841 E. B. H. Lewin Let. 1 July in T. H. Lewin Lewin Lett. (1909) II. v. 9 I cultivated with Arthur White last year when he spent more than double Squire's stay at Stockholm.
7. transitive. To grow (the hair, nails, etc.), esp. to a particular length or to form a certain style.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > hair > [verb (transitive)] > grow > in specific fashion
wearc893
cultivate1791
1791 Morning Post 26 Apr. 3/2 A gentleman's servant, who..had taken particular pains to cultivate his hair,..made complaint..that..he had employed a hair-dresser to thin his top, who had privately cut about half the hair out of his tail.
1833 ‘C. Sly’ Sayings & Doings at Tremont House II. 144 She should..cultivate her nails.
1896 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 24 Jan. 203/1 Many allow their hair to grow; some even cultivate moustache and side whiskers.
1906 M. D. Conway My Pilgrimage to Wise Men of East vi. 112 The women had cultivated long hair, and when we passed covered their breasts with it, Godiva-like.
1980 New Scientist 25 Sept. 948/3 The penchant for cultivating long nails, thought in many cultures to be a sign of wealth..or beauty.
2003 Daily Record (Nexis) 2 July (Vital section) 2 If your man insists on cultivating designer stubble.., then tell him straight, kissing anything that feels like a toilet brush is a total passion killer.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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v.1588- quasi crime
- quasi in rem
- quasi parlando
- quasi parlato
- quasi-
- quasi-aesthetic
- quasi-arithmetical
- quasi-art
- quasi-automatic
- quasi-automatically
- quasi-belief
- quasi-classic
- quasi-colloquial
- quasi-continuous
- quasi-continuum
- quasi-contract
- quasi-contractual
- quasi-copula
- quasi-definition
- quasi-deify
- quasi-dereliction
- quasi-divine
- quasi-dying
- quasi-elastic
- quasi-emperor