Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FER'TILE, a. [Fr. fertile; Sp. fertil; It. fertile; L. fertilis, from fero, to bear.]

1. Fruitful; rich; producing fruit in abundance; as, fertile land, ground, soil, fields or meadows. This word in America is rarely applied to trees, or to animals, but to land. It formerly had of before the thing produced; as, fertile of all kinds of grain: but in is now used; fertile in grain.
2. Rich; having abundant resources; prolific; productive; inventive; able to produce abundantly; as, a fertile genius, mind or imagination.

FER'TILE-LY, adv.

Fruitfully.

FER'TILE-NESS, n.

See FERTILITY.

FER-TIL'I-TY, n. [L. fertilitas.]

1. Fruitfulness; the quality of producing fruit in abundance; as, the fertility of land, ground, soil, fields and meadows.
2. Richness; abundant resources; fertile invention; as, the fertility of genius, of fancy or imagination.

FER'TIL-IZE, v.t.

To enrich; to supply with the pabulum of plants; to make fruitful or productive; as, to fertilize land, soil, ground and meadows. [Fertilitate is not used.]

FER'TIL-IZ-ED, pp.

Enriched; rendered fruitful.

FER'TIL-IZ-ING, ppr.

1. Enriching; making fruitful or productive. The Connecticut overflows the adjacent meadows, fertilizing them by depositing fine particles of earth or vegetable substances.
2. adj. Enriching; furnishing the nutriment of plants.

FER-U-LA'CEOUS, a. [L. ferula.]

Pertaining to reeds or canes; having a stalk like a reed; or resembling the Ferula, as ferulaceous plants. Fourcroy.

FER'ULE, a. [L. ferula, from ferio, to strike, or from the use of stalks of the Ferula.]

1. A little wooden pallet or slice, used to punish children in a school, by striking them on the palm of the hand. [Ferular is not used.]
2. Under the Eastern empire, the ferula was the emperor's scepter. It was a long stem or shank, with a flat square head. Encyc.

FER'ULE, v.t.

To punish with a ferule.

FER'UL-ED, pp.

Punished with a ferule.

FER'UL-ING, ppr.

Punishing with a ferule.

FERV'EN-CY, n. [See Fervent.]

1. Heat of mind; ardor; eagerness. Shak.
2. Pious ardor; animated zeal; warmth of devotion. When you pray, let it be with attention, with fervency and with perseverance. Wake.

FERV'ENT, a. [L. fervens, from ferveo, to be hot, to boil, to glow; Ar. فَارَ, faura, to boil, to swell with heat, to ferment. Class Br, No. 30. Ferveo gives the Spanish hervir, to boil, to swarm as bees, whose motions resemble the boiling of water.]

1. Hot; boiling; as, a fervent summer; fervent blood. Spenser. Wotton.
2. Hot in temper; vehement. They are fervent to dispute. Hooker.
3. Ardent; very warm; earnest; excited; animated; glowing; as, a fervent zeal; fervent piety. Fervent in spirit. Rom. xii.

FERV'ENT-LY, adv.

1. Earnestly; eagerly; vehemently; with great warmth.
2. With pious ardor; with earnest zeal; ardently. Epaphras – saluteth you, laboring fervently for you in prayers. Col. iv.

FERV'ENT-NESS, n.

Fervency; ardor; zeal.

FER-VES'CENT, a.

Growing hot.

FERV'ID, a. [L. fervidus.]

1. Very hot; burning; boiling; as, fervid heat.
2. Very warm in zeal; vehement; eager; earnest; as, fervid zeal.

FERV'ID-LY, adv.

Very hotly; with glowing warmth.

FERV'ID-NESS, n.

Glowing heat; ardor of mind; warm zeal. Bentley.

FERV'OR, n. [L. fervor.]

1. Heat or warmth; as, the fervor of a summer's day.
2. Heat of mind; ardor; warm or animated zeal and earnestness in the duties of religion, particularly in prayer.

FES'CEN-NINE, a.

Pertaining to Fescennium in Italy; licentious. Kennet.

FES'CEN-NINE, n.

A nuptial song, or a licentious song. Cartwright.

FES'CUE, n. [Fr. fêtu, for festu, a straw; L. festuca, a shoot or stalk of a tree, a rod.]

A small wire used to point out letters to children when learning to read. Dryden. Holder.

FES'CUE-GRASS, n.

The Festuca, a genus of grasses. Lee.