 |
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Cultivate \Cul"ti*vate\ (k?l"t?-v?t), verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Cultivated} (-v?'t?d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Cultivating} (-v?'-t?ng).] [LL. cultivatus, p. p. of cultivare to cultivate, fr. cultivus cultivated, fr. L. cultus, p. p. of colere to till, cultivate. Cf. {Colony}.]
1. To bestow attention, care, and labor upon, with a view to valuable returns; to till; to fertilize; as, to cultivate soil.
2. To direct special attention to; to devote time and thought to; to foster; to cherish.
Leisure . . . to cultivate general literature. --Wordsworth.
3. To seek the society of; to court intimacy with.
I ever looked on Lord Keppel as one of the greatest and best men of his age; and I loved and cultivated him accordingly. --Burke.
4. To improve by labor, care, or study; to impart culture to; to civilize; to refine.
To cultivate the wild, licentious savage. --Addison.
The mind of man hath need to be prepared for piety and virtue; it must be cultivated to the end. --Tillotson.
5. To raise or produce by tillage; to care for while growing; as, to cultivate corn or grass.
 |
Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |