Caprificate

/ˌkæprɪˈfɪkeɪt/ verb

Definition

To pollinate fig trees by using wild fig wasps or other methods, a traditional agricultural practice.

Etymology

From caprifig (wild fig) + Latin '-ficare' (to make or do), meaning to cause caprifigs to pollinate regular figs. This technical agricultural term dates back to ancient Mediterranean farming practices.

Kelly Says

Fig pollination is so weird that for 2,000 years people didn't even realize wasps did it—they just noticed you had to hang wild figs near cultivated ones, and called it 'caprification,' which sounds like magic.

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