fertilize
UK[ˈfɜːtəlaɪz]US[ˈfɜːrtəlaɪz]
v
to make soil or land more fertile by adding substances to it.
v
to make a plant or egg cell develop by introducing male reproductive material.
Morpheme Breakdown
fertil
ize
fertil
fertile
ize
verb-forming suffix
Etymology
the word 'fertilize' is built upon the latin adjective fertilis, which itself derives from the verb ferre, meaning 'to bear or carry'. this root, ferre, is of proto-indo-european origin (bher- 'to carry'), and its semantic journey connects the idea of carrying to bearing fruit or offspring. the suffix -ize, borrowed from greek via latin and french, is a productive verb-forming element meaning 'to make or become'. thus, the literal construction 'to make fertile' perfectly captures the modern agricultural and biological meanings of enhancing productivity or enabling reproduction.
Analysis
Structure: fertil (fertile) + ize (verb-forming suffix)
fertil (from latin fertilis, meaning 'fruitful, productive', from ferre 'to bear, carry'); ize (from greek -izein, a verb-forming suffix via latin and french, meaning 'to make, to become, to subject to').
Examples
farmers fertilize their fields in the spring to ensure a good harvest.
the process to fertilize a human egg in a laboratory is called in vitro fertilization.
gardeners often use compost to naturally fertilize their soil.