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Glite Dictionary
to impregnate the soil

to impregnate the soil

5.8
To add nutrients to soil so plants grow better
  • phrasal verb
  • Specialized
translation icon : enriquecer el suelo
  • Farmers often impregnate the soil with organic fertilizers to enhance crop yields.

Examples

  • Using compost is a great way to impregnate the soil naturally and boost its fertility.

  • It would impregnate the soil if dropped from a series of air bursts above and ahead of the army.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • To improve plant growth, gardeners impregnate the soil with essential nutrients.

Synonyms

to fertilize
vsto impregnate the soil
  • US
12 3.4

To add plant food to soil or plants to help them grow

aims to improve soil fertility rather than directly helping plant growth
to enrich the soil
vsto impregnate the soil
1 3.2

Add compost or other nutrients to soil to make it better for growing plants

focuses on adding nutrients or chemicals rather than organic matter

Antonyms

to degrade
  • Specialized
35 5.1

To wear away soil and rock by wind or water

How Enriched

to impregnate the soil
  • Specialized
5.8
to fertilize
  • US
12 3.4

Surface Forms

impregnate the soil infinitive
impregnated the soil past
impregnated the soil past participle
impregnating the soil present participle
impregnates the soil third person singular

Morphology

impregnate + the + soil

The sense of 'impregnate' as 'to saturate completely' combined with 'soil' yields a clear literal meaning: to saturate the soil with nutrients or substances. The determiner 'the' is irrelevant; this is a straightforward compositional verb + object construction that a learner who knows the constituents can derive.

Etymology

Impregnate the soil creates a simple image of pouring or mixing compost and other food into the soil so the ground is full of food for plants. That's why it means 'to enrich the soil' by adding nutrients.