What does cultivability mean?
Cultivability is a formal noun meaning the quality or condition of being cultivable. In its clearest use, it names the capacity of a plant, crop, or strain to be grown successfully in specified circumstances. The word is especially associated with agriculture, horticulture, and plant science, where differences in cultivability can influence where a crop is planted, how it is managed, and how reliably it produces a useful yield. It can also be used more broadly when discussing whether a subject can be developed or sustained through deliberate effort. Cultivability is related to the adjective cultivable, but it shifts attention from an individual subject to the quality it possesses. In general writing, cultivable may be more idiomatic for describing a specific thing, while cultivability is useful for discussing the property as an abstract characteristic. The word is comparatively uncommon in everyday speech, but it is valuable in precise technical and formal prose because it distinguishes the possibility of successful cultivation from the activity of cultivation itself.
nounThe quality or condition of being cultivable, especially the capacity of a plant, crop, or strain to be grown successfully under particular conditions.
- The quality or condition of being cultivable, especially the capacity of a plant, crop, or strain to be grown successfully under particular conditions.
"The study assessed the cultivability of the crop under dry conditions."
"The study assessed the cultivability of the crop under dry conditions."
"The report ranks each variety by cultivability as well as by yield."
The regular plural is rare because the noun itself is uncommon.
"The researchers compared the cultivabilities of several crop varieties."
Cultivability asks the quiet question behind agriculture: not merely what has been grown, but what can be grown successfully.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does cultivability come from?
Cultivability is an English formation based on cultivate, through the adjective cultivable, and the noun-forming suffix -ity. Cultivate was borrowed into English through Middle French from Latin cultīvāre, “to till” or “to cultivate,” a word associated with the Latin root colere, “to inhabit, tend, or cultivate.” The same broad root also underlies cultural and culture, while cultivation and cultivator are closer English derivatives of cultivate.
Related word forms
How cultivability is actually used
A relatively rare, formal noun used chiefly in agricultural, horticultural, scientific, and technical contexts. When describing a particular plant or crop, cultivable is often the more natural adjective; cultivability is used when the capacity itself is being considered as a quality.
Easily confused with cultivability
Cultivable is an adjective describing something capable of being cultivated, whereas cultivability is a noun naming that capacity as a quality.