Word
arable
US/ˈæɹəbəɫ/
UK/ˈæɹɐbəl/
Definition
adj. describing land that is suitable for growing crops. You use this to talk about farming areas where you can plant things like wheat or corn.
adj. capable of being ploughed and sown with crops. Often used in the plural to refer to the total area of land available for agricultural production.
Examples
“The farm owns several hundred acres of arable land.”
“The government is investing in new irrigation systems to increase the amount of arable land in the region.”
“While the northern slopes are too steep for arable farming, the valley floor provides ideal conditions for high-yield cereal crops due to its deep, fertile soil.”
Examples
simple
“The farm owns several hundred acres of arable land.”
contextual
“The government is investing in new irrigation systems to increase the amount of arable land in the region.”
complex
“While the northern slopes are too steep for arable farming, the valley floor provides ideal conditions for high-yield cereal crops due to its deep, fertile soil.”
Real-World Examples
“But in the arable farming regions dominated by cereal production, leys are less common.” “Within 10-15 years, the former arable field had developed into a species-rich wildflower meadow.” Etymology
From Middle English arable, from Middle French arable, from Old French arable, from Latin arābilis, formed from arō (“plow”) + -bilis (“able to be”). Cognate with earable (“arable”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/arable