poultry-farming
|poul-try-farm-ing|
🇺🇸
/ˈpoʊltri ˈfɑrmɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/ˈpəʊltri ˈfɑːmɪŋ/
raising domestic birds for meat or eggs
Etymology
'poultry-farming' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound of 'poultry' + 'farming'. 'Poultry' ultimately comes from Latin 'pullus' meaning 'young animal' via Old French, while 'farm' (and 'farming') comes via Old French/Medieval Latin 'ferma/fermare' meaning a fixed payment or leased land.
'poultry' developed in Middle English from Old French words related to 'poulet'/'poule' (young fowl) and Latin 'pullus'; 'farming' developed from Middle English 'farm' (from Old French/Medieval Latin) and the gerund/participle form produced the modern English 'farming'. The compound 'poultry-farming' is a Modern English formation combining the activity word 'farming' with the object 'poultry'.
Initially the elements referred specifically to 'young/domestic fowl' and to 'the management or tenure of land'; together they originally meant 'the keeping/raising of domestic fowl' and over time the term has remained focused on that activity while expanding to include large-scale and industrial practices.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the activity or industry of breeding, raising, and keeping domestic birds (such as chickens, turkeys, ducks) for meat and eggs.
Poultry-farming has become more industrialized in recent decades.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/05 15:46