arable

[ ar-uh-buhl ]

adjective

1. capable of producing crops; suitable for farming; suited to the plow and for tillage:

   arable land; arable soil.

noun

1. land that can be or is cultivated.

arable

/ ˈærəbəl /

adjective

1. (of land) being or capable of being tilled for the production of crops
2. of, relating to, or using such land

   arable farming

noun

1. arable land or farming

Other Words From

• ara·bili·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of arable¹

1375–1425; < Latin arābilis, equivalent to arā ( re ) to plow + -bilis -ble; replacing late Middle English erable, equivalent to er ( en ) to plow ( Old English erian ) + -able -able

Word History and Origins

Origin of arable¹

C15: from Latin arābilis that can be ploughed, from arāre to plough

Example Sentences

However, major landowners and landgrabbers often clear huge areas to use them as pastures or for arable farming.

From Science Daily

The couple, who live in Cerne Abbas, struck deals with several owners of permanent pasture land, but were only able to expand their operation after securing grazing of winter cover crops on arable farms.

From BBC

Mike Wilkins, an arable farmer in Wiltshire, lost about half his wheat.

From BBC

“We’d like to use some of our arable land for new animal farming, so this would have profound consequences on mixed family farms like this.”

From BBC

Three years later, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture whisked them off to a quaint fictional village in the west of England, zigzagging through arable fields and well-ordered front gardens.

From New York Times