Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

fecund

 - 5 dictionary results

fe⋅cund

  [fee-kuhnd, -kuhnd, fek-uhnd, -uhnd]
Use fecund in a Sentence
–adjective
1. producing or capable of producing offspring, fruit, vegetation, etc., in abundance; prolific; fruitful: fecund parents; fecund farmland.
2. very productive or creative intellectually: the fecund years of the Italian Renaissance.
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME < L fēcundus, equiv. to fē- (see fetus ) + -cundus adj. suffix; r. late ME fecounde < AF
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To fecund
fe·cund   (fē'kənd, fěk'ənd)   
adj.  

  1. Capable of producing offspring or vegetation; fruitful.

  2. Marked by intellectual productivity. See Synonyms at fertile.


[Middle English, from Old French fecond, from Latin fēcundus; see dhē(i)- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

fecund 
c.1420, from O.Fr. fecond, from L. fecundus "fruitful, fertile," from *fe-kwondo-, suffixed form of L. base *fe-, corresponding to PIE *dhe(i)- "to suck, suckle," also "produce, yield" (cf. Skt. dhayati "sucks," dhayah "nourishing;" Gk. thele "mother's breast, nipple," thelys "female, fruitful;" O.C.S. dojiti "to suckle," dojilica "nurse," deti "child;" Lith. dele "leech;" O.Prus. dadan "milk;" Goth. daddjan "to suckle;" O.Swed. dia "suckle;" O.H.G. tila "female breast;" O.Ir. denaim "I suck," dinu "lamb"). Also from the same L. base come felare "to suck;" femina "woman" (*fe-mna-, lit. "she who suckles"); felix "happy, auspicious, fruitful;" fetus "offspring, pregnancy;" fenum "hay" (probably lit. "produce"); and probably filia/filius "daughter/son," assimilated from *felios, originally "a suckling."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: fe·cund
Pronunciation: 'fek-&nd, 'fEk-
Function: adjective
1 : characterized by having produced many offspring
2 : capable of producing : not sterile or barren —fe·cun·di·ty /fi-'k&n-d&t-E, fe-/ noun plural -ties
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

fecund fe·cund (fē'kənd, fěk'ənd)
adj.
Capable of producing offspring; fertile.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see fecund on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way