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cultivate

KUL-tih-vayt /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/

verbB1SATACTTOEFLIELTS

generalacademicprofessional

To prepare and use land for crops or gardening; to nurture and help something grow.

While literally referring to tilling soil and growing crops, it is heavily used metaphorically to describe nurturing abstract things like relationships, skills, or a specific image.

The story behind the word. The Latin verb 'colere' meant to till the earth, but it also meant to inhabit a place and, interestingly, to worship. This single root branched out into 'cultivate' (tilling the earth), 'culture' (tilling the mind), and 'cult' (worship). When you cultivate a garden, you are participating in one of humanity's oldest forms of care.

Word relationships

nurture: Nurture focuses on feeding and protecting a living thing, whereas cultivate emphasizes preparation, structured growth, and improvement.
foster: Foster means to encourage or promote development, often used for feelings or ideas, but cannot be used literally for tilling soil.

neglect: Neglect means to fail to care for something, leading to its decay, whereas cultivate is the active process of encouraging growth.
abandon: Abandon means to completely give up control or care of a plot of land or a project.

Commonly confused with

harvest: Cultivate is the process of growing and preparing, while harvest is the final act of gathering the mature crops.

Word family

cultivation (noun): The act of preparing land or nurturing growth.
cultivator (noun): A person or tool that cultivates.

Collocations

cultivate the soil
cultivate a habit
cultivate relationships
cultivate an image

Idioms & expressions

cultivate one's own garden (to mind one's own business or focus on personal life)

Example sentences

"The pioneers worked tirelessly to cultivate the stubborn, rocky soil of the valley." Literary description of farming
"She sought to cultivate a reputation for absolute reliability among her peers." Metaphorical use in professional development

Memory hook

Think of a CULTure of growing plants. To cultivate is to create a culture where plants (or ideas) can thrive. CULTivate = CULTure + acTIVATE.

When not to use

Do not use 'cultivate' for the simple, physical act of putting a single seed in the ground; use 'plant' or 'sow' instead. Cultivate implies a long-term process of care and preparation.

Fun facts

The word 'cultivate' was first used in English in the early 17th century, transitioning quickly from literal farming to the metaphorical cultivation of the mind.