Cul"ti*vate (k?l"t?-v?t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cultivated (-v?`t?d); p. pr.
& vb. n. Cultivating (-v?`- t?ng).]
[LL. cultivatus,
p. p. of
cultivare to cultivate, fr. cultivus cultivated, fr. L. cultus, p. p. of
colere to till, cultivate. Cf. Colony.] 1. To bestow attention, care, and labor upon, with a view to valuable returns; to till; to fertilize; as, to cultivate soil.
2. To direct special attention to; to devote
time and thought to; to foster; to
cherish.
Leisure . . . to cultivate general literature.
Wordsworth.
3. To seek the society of; to court intimacy with.
I ever looked on Lord Keppel as one of the greatest and best men of his age; and I loved and cultivated him accordingly.
Burke.
4.
To improve by labor, care, or study; to impart culture to; to civilize; to refine.
To cultivate the wild, licentious savage.
Addison.
The mind of man hath need to
be prepared for piety and
virtue; it must be cultivated to the end.
Tillotson.
5. To raise or produce by tillage; to care for while growing; as, to cultivate corn or grass.
Hear it pronounced