anti-fertilizer
|an-ti-fer-ti-li-zer|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˈfɝ.təˌlaɪ.zɚ/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tiˈfɜː.tɪˌlaɪ.zə/
prevents making fertile / blocks fertilization
Etymology
'anti-fertilizer' is a compound formed in English from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') and 'fertilizer' (from 'fertilize' + agent suffix '-er'), where 'fertilize' traces to Latin 'fertilis' meaning 'fruitful'.
'fertilize' entered English via French 'fertiliser' (19th century) from Latin 'fertilis' ('fruitful'); the noun 'fertilizer' developed by adding '-er' in modern English; 'anti-' as a productive prefix ('against') combined with 'fertilizer' in 20th-century technical and colloquial formations to form 'anti-fertilizer'.
The literal sense was simply 'against fertilizer' (opposed to making fertile); over time it has been used more specifically for agents that actively reduce fertility of soil or block biological fertilization, i.e., 'an agent that prevents making fertile'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a substance or agent that reduces or prevents the fertility of soil or counteracts the effects of fertilizers, causing decreased plant growth or nutrient availability.
The spill introduced an anti-fertilizer into the field, and crop yields dropped for two seasons.
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Noun 2
an agent that prevents biological fertilization (e.g., a compound that blocks sperm–egg fusion), used in contexts of contraception or reproductive control.
Researchers tested a topical anti-fertilizer intended to act as a local contraceptive.
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Last updated: 2025/10/28 19:42