Agricultures

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The science and practice of cultivating the soil, growing crops, and raising animals for food, fiber, and other products; the various methods and systems used for farming worldwide; the economic and social activity involved in farming communities
2. The study and application of soil management and crop production combined with animal husbandry to provide sustenance and raw materials; different traditional and modern farming techniques employed across regions; the sector encompassing rural livelihoods and food supply chains
3. The art and science of land cultivation and animal rearing aimed at producing food and goods; diverse agricultural practices including crop rotation, irrigation, and livestock breeding; the collective industry and lifestyle related to farming and land management

Etymology: This word is the plural of "agriculture," and its story is in the two Latin words it was built from. Latin "ager" meant "field," the same root that gave English "acre," while "cultūra" meant "cultivation," the source of "culture." Joined together as "agricultūra," they described the working of the land itself, and the term passed into English through Middle English and, along the way, through Middle French. The plural form is what makes this word unusual for a mass noun. "Agriculture" normally refers to farming as a general practice, so a plural is used when speaking of distinct systems, as in the various agricultures found around the world. The plural therefore counts the separate ways people have cultivated land and raised animals, rather than a single activity.

Synonyms: farming, cultivation, husbandry, agronomy

Antonyms: industry, manufacturing