Words / B2

f-uh-TIL-uh-tee/fəˈtɪləti/

Fertility is the ability to produce children or good crops (usually uncountable): fertility rate; soil fertility. Fertile is the adjective (already in the dictionary). Birth rate is related but not identical. ONS: fertility below replacement. Handle the human sense with care; it is not a joke word.

Meaning

The ability to produce babies or good crops.

Examples

• “ONS figures showed fertility falling below the replacement rate.”
• “Soil fertility fell after the flood, which is the agricultural sense.”

Good to know

fertility rate; soil fertility. Adjective: fertile. Related: birth rate. Uncountable. Demography and geography. Sensitive in human contexts.

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