cultivation

Everyday

1. Preparing land and growing crops or plants on it. tree →
2. The growing of a particular plant: «the cultivation of rice». tree →
3. Developing a skill, quality or friendship carefully over time. tree →
4. (formal) Being educated and having good manners and taste. tree →

In the lessons

In science and geography lessons cultivation is about farming: ploughing, planting, watering and harvesting. «Land under cultivation» is land being farmed. In history, people learned the cultivation of wheat and changed from hunting to farming. Phrases: «under cultivation», «the cultivation of», «shifting cultivation», «cultivation of good habits».

Examples

• Rice cultivation needs a lot of water. tree →
• This field has been under cultivation for many years. tree →
• The cultivation of potatoes spread across Europe. tree →
• Good cultivation of the soil helps the seeds grow. tree →
• Learning an instrument needs patient cultivation of skill. tree →
• Terraces make cultivation possible on steep hills. tree →
• (formal) She was a woman of great cultivation and charm. tree →
• He accordingly gathered round him his zealous followers, and they set forth on their travels, planting the vine and teaching its cultivation wherever they went. tree →

Note

Uncountable in most uses: «a lot of cultivation», not «cultivations». The verb is «cultivate». A «cultivated» person is well educated; a «cultivated» plant is grown by people, not wild.