# cultivate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/ · frequency rank #16,677

## Definitions
1. To grow plants, notably crops.
2. To nurture; to foster; to tend.
3. To turn or stir soil in preparation for planting or as a method of weed control between growing crop plants.

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin cultivātus, perfect passive participle of cultivō (“till, cultivate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from cultīvus (“tilled”), from Latin cultus, perfect passive participle of colō (“till, cultivate”), which comes from earlier *quelō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to move; to turn (around)”). Cognates include Ancient Greek πέλω (pélō) and Sanskrit चरति (cárati). The same Proto-Indo-European root also gave Latin in-quil-īnus (“inhabitant”) and anculus (“servant”).

## Easily confused with
- **cultivated** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cultivate-vs-cultivated)
- **cultivar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cultivar-vs-cultivate)
- **culminate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/culminate-vs-cultivate)

## Common misspellings (13)
`ccultivate`, `clutivate`, `culitvate`, `culltivate`, `cultiavte`, `cultivaet`, `cultivatte`, `cultivtae`, `cultivvate`, `culttivate`, `cultviate`, `cutlivate`, `ucltivate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cultivate