Arable

Quick meaning: Arable is an adjective meaning (agriculture, of land) Able to be plowed or tilled, capable of growing crops (traditionally contrasted with pasturable lands such as heaths).

Meaning

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

More Meanings

1. 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).
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).

Example Sentences

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

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

Word Forms

• arables

Synonyms for arable

Depending on context, synonyms include productive, cultivable, tillable.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include tillable, cultivable, productive, farming, farmland, farm.

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