Arable

/ˈæɹəbl̩/ · adjective

Meaning

(agriculture, of land) Able to be plowed or tilled, capable of growing crops (traditionally contrasted with pasturable lands such as heaths)..

Definitions by Sense

1. (agriculture, of land) Able to be plowed or tilled, capable of growing crops (traditionally contrasted with pasturable lands such as heaths).
2. (agriculture, NGO jargon, of land) Under cultivation (within any quinquennial period) for the production of crops sown and harvested within the same agricultural year (contrasted with permanently-cropped lands such as orchards).
3. Land that can be cropped (i.e., land that is arable); land that is being cropped (i.e., land that is in the cropping phase of a crop rotation, currently being cropped rather than used as pasture or fallow).

Example Sentences

And again, since no animal now stole, it was unnecessary to fence off pasture from arable land […]

Arrangements for the drainage of this piece of arable were commenced last summer

Synonyms for arable

Antonyms for arable

Related Words

Word Forms

• more arable
• most arable
• arables

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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