Agronomize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To apply or adapt agricultural techniques or knowledge to land, crops, or farming practices with the goal of improving productivity or sustainability
2. To manage or treat soil and plant cultivation scientifically for better yield and efficient farming methods
3. To engage in the practice of agronomy by employing scientific principles to enhance crop growth and soil management strategies

Etymology: In ancient Greece, an "agronomos" was not a farmer or scientist but a city official, and the title was applied to officers who oversaw the countryside and its produce. The word combined "agros," meaning field, with "nomos," meaning law or management, so its original sense was closer to "field manager" than to anything about crops. "Agronomize" is a later English formation. It takes "agronomy," the study and science of field cultivation, which came into English from French, and adds the verb-forming suffix "-ize," from Greek "-izein," which turns a noun into a verb meaning "to make into" or "to treat by." To agronomize is therefore to apply scientific principles of soil, crops, and land management to farming. The verb is rare, and most dictionaries record it mainly as a derivative of "agronomy."

Synonyms: farm, cultivate, till, farm out, agriculturize

Antonyms: urbanize, industrialize, neglect