Word Study
cultivate
CIDE DICTIONARY
cultivate, v. t. [LL. cultivatus, p. p. of cultivare to cultivate, fr. cultivus cultivated, fr. L. cultus, p. p. of colere to till, cultivate. Cf. Colony.].
- To bestow attention, care, and labor upon, with a view to valuable returns; to till; to fertilize; as, to cultivate soil. [1913 Webster]
- To direct special attention to; to devote time and thought to; to foster; to cherish. [1913 Webster]"Leisure . . . to cultivate general literature." [1913 Webster]
- To seek the society of; to court intimacy with. [1913 Webster]"I ever looked on Lord Keppel as one of the greatest and best men of his age; and I loved and cultivated him accordingly." [1913 Webster]
- To improve by labor, care, or study; to impart culture to; to civilize; to refine. [1913 Webster]"To cultivate the wild, licentious savage." [1913 Webster]"The mind of man hath need to be prepared for piety and virtue; it must be cultivated to the end." [1913 Webster]
- To raise or produce by tillage; to care for while growing; as, to cultivate corn or grass. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
cultivate, v.tr.
1 a prepare and use (soil etc.) for crops or gardening. b break up (the ground) with a cultivator.
2 a raise or produce (crops). b culture (bacteria etc.).
3 a (often as cultivated adj.) apply oneself to improving or developing (the mind, manners, etc.). b pay attention to or nurture (a person or a person's friendship).
1 a prepare and use (soil etc.) for crops or gardening. b break up (the ground) with a cultivator.
2 a raise or produce (crops). b culture (bacteria etc.).
3 a (often as cultivated adj.) apply oneself to improving or developing (the mind, manners, etc.). b pay attention to or nurture (a person or a person's friendship).
Derivative
cultivable adj. cultivatable adj. cultivation n.
Etymology
med.L cultivare f. cultiva (terra) arable (land) (as CULT)
THESAURUS
cultivate
advance, ameliorate, apprentice, approach, backset, beautify, better, break, break in, break the ice, breed, bring up, brown-nose, butter up, care for, carve, cherish, chisel, coddle, condition, convert, cosset, court, courteous, cradle, crop, cultivated, culture, cultured, cut, delve, develop, dig, discipline, distingue, dress, drill, dry-nurse, educate, elaborate, embellish, encourage, evolve, excite, exercise, extract, fallow, farm, feed, fertilize, fetch up, finish, fit, fondle, force, form, foster, further, groom, grow, harrow, harvest, hoe, house-train, housebreak, improve, instruct, labor, lavish care on, lick into shape, list, machine, make advances, make sensitive, make up to, manage, mature, mill, mine, mother, mulch, nourish, nurse, nurture, pamper, pay addresses to, pay court to, perfect, play up to, plow, polish, polished, polite, practice, prepare, process, produce, promote, propagate, prune, pump, put in tune, put to school, quicken, raise, rake, ready, rear, refine, refined, rehearse, ripen, run after, season, send to school, sensibilize, sensitize, sharpen, shine up to, smelt, spade, spoon-feed, stimulate, stir, suck up to, suckle, sustain, take in hand, teach, tend, thin, thin out, till, till the soil, train, urbane, weed, weed out, well-bred, wet-nurse, whet, woo, work, work onROGET THESAURUS
cultivate
Improvement
VB improve, be better, become better, get better, mend, amend, advance, ascend, increase, fructify, ripen, mature, pick up, come about, rally, take a favorable turn, turn over a new leaf, turn the corner, raise one's head, sow one's wild oats, recover, be better, be improved by, turn to right account, turn to good account, turn to best account, profit by, reap the benefit of, make good use of, make capital out of, place to good account, render better, improve, mend, amend, better, ameliorate, meliorate, correct, decrassify, improve upon, refine upon, rectify, enrich, mellow, elaborate, fatten, promote, cultivate, advance, forward, enhance, bring forward, bring on, foster, invigorate, touch up, rub up, brush up, furbish up, bolster up, vamp up, brighten up, warm up, polish, cook, make the most of, set off to advantage, prune, repair, put in order, review, revise, make corrections, make improvements, doctor, purify, relieve, refresh, infuse new blood into, recruit, reform, remodel, reorganize, new model, view in a new light, think better of, appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober, palliate, mitigate, lessen an evil.Aid
VB aid, assist, help, succor, lend one's aid, come to the aid, of, contribute, subscribe to, bring aid, give aid, furnish aid, afford aid, supply aid, give a helping hand, stretch a hand, lend a helping hand, lend a hand, bear a helping hand, hold out a hand, hold out a helping hand, give one a life, give one a cast, give one a turn, take by the hand, take in tow, help a lame dog over a stile, lend wings to, relieve, rescue, set up, set agoing, set on one's legs, bear through, pull through, give new life to, be the making of, reinforce, reenforce, recruit, set forward, put forward, push forward, give a lift, give a shove, give an impulse to, promote, further, forward, advance expedite, speed, quicken, hasten, support, sustain, uphold, prop, hold up, bolster, cradle, nourish, nurture, nurse, dry nurse, suckle, put out to nurse, manure, cultivate, force, foster, cherish, foment, feed the flame, fan the flame, serve, do service to, tender to, pander to, administer to, subminister to, minister to, tend, attend, wait on, take care of, entertain, smooth the bed of death, oblige, accommodate, consult the wishes of, humor, cheer, encourage, second, stand by, back, back up, pay the piper, abet, work for, make interest for, stick up for, take up the cudgels for, take up the cause of, espouse the cause of, adopt the cause of, advocate, beat up for recruits, press into the service, squire, give moral support to, keep in countenance, countenance, patronize, lend oneself to, lend one's countenance to, smile upon, shine upon, favor, befriend, take in hand, enlist under the banners of, side with, be of use to, subserve, benefit, render a service, conduce.Agriculture
VB cultivate, till the soil, farm, garden, sow, plant, reap, mow, cut, manure, dress the ground, dig, delve, dibble, hoe, plough, plow, harrow, rake, weed, lop and top, backset.Physical Sensibility
VB be sensible of, feel, perceive, render sensible, sharpen, cultivate, tutor, cause sensation, impress, excite an impression, produce an impression.For further exploring for "cultivate" in Webster Dictionary Online