fertilizer

American  

[fur-tl-ahy-zer] / ˈfɜr tlˌaɪ zər /

noun

1. any substance used to fertilize the soil, especially a commercial or chemical manure.

2. a person, insect, etc., that fertilizes an animal or plant.

   Bees are fertilizers of flowers.

---

fertilizer British  

/ ˈfɜːtɪˌlaɪzə /

noun

1. any substance, such as manure or a mixture of nitrates, added to soil or water to increase its productivity

2. an object or organism such as an insect that fertilizes an animal or plant

---

fertilizer Scientific  

/ fûr′tl-ī′zər /

1. 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.

---

Etymology

Origin of fertilizer

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

Example Sentences

If a serpent’s prey happens to have seeds in their cheeks, “they will disperse those seeds, acting as nature’s gardeners, pooping out the seeds in a little pile of fertilizer,” Taylor said.

From Los Angeles Times

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has benefited American fertilizer producers, which investors are betting will gain market share while competition in the Middle East struggles to get their output to market.

From The Wall Street Journal

Find insight on global fertilizer flows and more in the latest Market Talks covering basic materials.

From The Wall Street Journal

But metals businesses like it, along with fertilizer and chemical enterprises, are now competitive global players because Gulf governments invested in hard and soft infrastructure adjacent to the oil business.

From The Wall Street Journal

American farms are planning to grow less corn and more soybeans this year, in the face of rising energy and fertilizer costs.

From Barron's

Related Words

• manure