fer‧ti‧lize (also fertilise British English) /ˈfɜːtəlaɪz, ˈfɜːtɪlaɪz $ ˈfɜːrtl-aɪz/ verb [transitive]

1. to make new animal or plant life develop:
After the egg has been fertilized, it will hatch in about six weeks.

2. to put fertilizer on the soil to make plants grow
—fertilization /ˌfɜːtəlaɪˈzeɪʃən, ˌfɜːtɪlaɪˈzeɪʃən $ ˌfɜːrtl-əˈzeɪ-/ noun [uncountable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲