Biofertilizer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A natural agent that introduces beneficial microbes into the soil to improve soil health and enhance the growth of plants
2. An organic substance that contains live microorganisms, aiding in nutrient absorption and promoting improved crop yields
3. A substance containing living microbes added to soil to boost plant growth and soil fertility

Etymology: "Biofertilizer" is a plain compound: "bio-", from Greek "bios" meaning "life", joined to "fertilizer", from Latin "fertilis" meaning "fruitful" or "bearing", via the verb "fertilize". Put together, the word describes a fertilizer whose active ingredient is living rather than chemical, so the fertilizing work is done by microbes that colonize the soil or root zone. The "bio-" prefix is the modern element that gives the compound its meaning. It has been used in English to form scientific and technical words since the nineteenth century, and it attaches easily to many nouns, which is why the same pattern produces words like "biofuel" and "biopesticide". The word therefore reads as a coinage built from familiar parts rather than a term with an older tradition of its own.

Synonyms: organic fertilizer