infertile
UK[ɪnˈfɜːtaɪl]US[ɪnˈfɜːrtl]
adj
not able to produce children, young animals, or crops
adj
not capable of producing or supporting growth, new ideas, etc.
Morpheme Breakdown
in
fertile
in
not
fertile
fruitful
Etymology
the word 'infertile' is formed by adding the latin-derived negative prefix 'in-' to the adjective 'fertile'. the root 'fertile' originates from the latin 'fertilis', itself derived from 'ferre', meaning 'to bear or carry'. this verb traces back to the proto-indo-european root bher-, which carried the core meaning 'to carry, to bear children'. thus, the literal construction 'not bearing' evolved logically into the modern abstract meanings encompassing biological incapacity to reproduce and metaphorical inability to produce growth or ideas.
Analysis
Structure: in (not) + fertile (fruitful)
in- (Latin origin, a prefix meaning 'not'); fertile (from Latin fertilis, meaning 'fruitful, productive').
Examples
the soil in that region is rocky and infertile.
after years of tests, they were diagnosed as infertile.
the meeting was an infertile discussion that produced no new plans.