cross-fertilize
[ kraws-fur-tl-ahyz, kros- ]
verb (used with object),cross-fer·ti·lized, cross-fer·ti·liz·ing.
to cause the cross-fertilization of.
verb (used without object),cross-fer·ti·lized, cross-fer·ti·liz·ing.
to undergo cross-fertilization.
Origin of cross-fertilize
1First recorded in 1875–80
- Also especially British, cross-fer·ti·lise .
Other words from cross-fertilize
- cross-fer·ti·liz·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cross-fertilize in a sentence
The insects begin to visit them, for their pollen or juices, and cross-fertilise them.
The Story of Evolution | Joseph McCabe
British Dictionary definitions for cross-fertilize
cross-fertilize
verb
to subject or be subjected to cross-fertilization
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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