Farmability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The capacity or suitability of land to be cultivated or utilized for agricultural purposes
2. the degree to which farming practices can be effectively implemented in an area
3. the potential of soil or resources to support crop production and farming activities without detrimental effects

Etymology: "Farmability" is a plain compound: "farm" with the suffix "-ability," which attaches to verbs to form nouns meaning the capacity to be whatever the verb describes. Its meaning follows directly from that construction, so "farmability" names the quality of land that makes it possible to farm, whether that means soil fertility, drainage, climate, or terrain. The suffix itself comes into English through Old French "-abilite" from Latin "-abilitas," which combined the adjective ending "-abilis" with the abstract noun ending "-itas." Because "-able" can be attached to almost any transitive verb, English speakers can coin new forms like this one whenever a specialized sense is needed, and "farmability" fits agricultural writing, land-use planning, and soil science.

Synonyms: cultivability, arability, fertility

Antonyms: infertility, unfarmability