fertile

Where does the word "fertile" come from? It comes from Latin fertilis, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Fertile’s story begins in Latin: fertilis meant “bearing, productive.” Bearing, productive, from ferre (to bear, to carry). It reached English by 1400s as fertile. Settled as the English word for land or beings capable of producing abundantly. Today, fertile means capable of producing abundant vegetation, crops, or offspring.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient fertilis "bearing, productive", bearing, productive, from ferre (to bear, to carry).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s fertile "capable of producing abundant crops or offspring", settled as the English word for land or beings capable of producing abundantly.