Cŭl'ti-vāte, v. t.
v. t. [imp. & p. p. CULTIVATED; p. pr. & vb. n. CULTIVATING.] [L. Lat. cultivare, cultivatum, from Lat. colere, cultum, to till, to cultivate; It. cultivare, coltivare, Sp. & Pg. cultivar, Pr. cultivar, Fr. cultiver.]
Sense 1. To bestow attention, care, and labor upon, with a view to valuable returns; to till; to fertilize; as, to cultivate the soil.
Sense 2. To direct special attention to; to devote time and thought to; to foster; to cherish; as, to cultivate the study of astronomy. “Leisure . . . to cultivate general literature.” Wordsworth.
To demonstrate how firmly we are resolved to cultivate . . . that friendship which is between your serenity and our republic. Milton.
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.
Sense 3. 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 that end. Tillotson.
Sense 4. To raise or produce by tillage; as, to cultivate corn or grass.