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   cultivate

   /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/

   verb

   • 1. prepare and use (land) for crops or gardening: "the peasants who cultivated the land became its owners" Similar tillploughdigturnhoefarmworkpreparefertilizemulch
   • ▪ break up (soil) in preparation for sowing or planting: "damp, well-cultivated soil"
   • ▪ raise or grow (plants), especially on a large scale for commercial purposes: "they were encouraged to cultivate basic food crops" Similar growraiserearbring ontendplantsow
   • ▪ grow or maintain (living cells or tissue) in culture: "blood cells that can be most easily cultivated are macrophages"
   • 2. try to acquire or develop (a quality or skill): "he cultivated an air of indifference" Similar try to acquirepursuecourttry to developwork hard atfosternurtureencourage
   • ▪ try to win the friendship or favour of (someone): "it helps if you go out of your way to cultivate the local people" Similar seek the friendship ofseek the favour oftry to win overtry to get someone on one's sidetry to get on someone's good sidewoocourtpay court torub up the right wayrun aftermake advances tomake up tokeep sweetingratiate oneself withcurry favour withassociate withmix withkeep company withinformal:get in someone's good booksbutter upsuck up tobrown-noseshine up toOpposite ignore
   • ▪ try to improve or develop (one's mind). Similar improvebetterrefineelevatepolisheducatetraindevelopenlightenenrichcivilizeculture

   Word Origin late 16th century: from medieval Latin cultivat- ‘prepared for crops’, from the verb cultivare, from cultiva (terra) ‘arable (land)’, from colere ‘cultivate, inhabit’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. cultivable adjective
   • 2. cultivatable adjective

   Scrabble Points: 14

   • C

     3

   • U

     1

   • L

     1

   • T

     1

   • I

     1

   • V

     4

   • A

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

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