Fertilizable

/ˈfɜː.tɪl.aɪ.zə.bəl/ adjective

Definition

American spelling; capable of being fertilized or able to receive fertilizer treatment.

Etymology

From Latin fertilis + American '-izable' suffix (the Greek-influenced American variant of French '-isable'). First used in American agricultural literature in the 1800s.

Kelly Says

The difference between British 'fertilisable' and American 'fertilizable' traces back to how Noah Webster deliberately changed American spellings to be more phonetic—a nationalist statement hidden in spelling rules.

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