FERTILIZER Definition & Meaning

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fertilizer

[ fur-tl-ahy-zer ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any substance used to fertilize the soil, especially a commercial or chemical manure.
a person, insect, etc., that fertilizes an animal or plant:
Bees are fertilizers of flowers.

fertilizer

/ ˈ��ɜː��ɪˌ��ɪ��ə /

noun

any substance, such as manure or a mixture of nitrates, added to soil or water to increase its productivity
an object or organism such as an insect that fertilizes an animal or plant

fertilizer

/ ��û��′�ٱ�-ī′zə�� /

Any of a large number of natural and synthetic materials, including manure and compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, spread on or worked into soil to increase its capacity to support plant growth. Synthetic fertilizers can greatly increase the productivity of soil but have high energy costs, since fossil fuels are required as a source of hydrogen, which is necessary to fix nitrogen in ammonia.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of fertilizer¹

First recorded in 1655–65; fertilize + -er ¹

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Israel also excludes "dual use" items — regular goods that could in theory have military applications, such as pipes and fertilizer needed for construction and agriculture.

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Farmers also rely heavily on fertilizer from Canada, which could cost more as the tariffs take hold.

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And that feels harder to do as the public is conditioned to consume the fertilizer that's piling up.

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Heat that biomass up without fully consuming it and it turns to nearly pure carbon known as biochar, which farmers soak in compost or fertilizer to “charge” it with nutrients, then add to their soils.

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They could face higher costs for things like fertilizer and fence posts, some of which come from Canada, and also from retaliatory tariffs on their exports.

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