Cul"ti*vate (k?l"t?-v?t), v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Cultivated (-v?`t?d);
p. pr. & vb. n. Cultivating (-v?`-
t?ng).] [LL. cultivatus, p. p. of cultivare to
cultivate, fr. cultivus cultivated, fr. L. cultus,
p. p. of colere to till, cultivate. Cf. Colony.]
1. To bestow attention, care, and labor
upon, with a view to valuable returns; to till; to fertilize; as,
to cultivate soil.
2. To direct special attention to; to
devote time and thought to; to foster; to cherish.
Leisure . . . to cultivate general
literature.
Wordsworth.
3. To seek the society of; to court
intimacy with.
I ever looked on Lord Keppel as one of the
greatest and best men of his age; and I loved and
cultivated him accordingly.
Burke.
4. To improve by labor, care, or study;
to impart culture to; to civilize; to refine.
To cultivate the wild, licentious
savage.
Addison.
The mind of man hath need to be prepared for piety
and virtue; it must be cultivated to the end.
Tillotson.
5. To raise or produce by tillage; to
care for while growing; as, to cultivate corn or
grass.
