fecund

fecund
fecund (adj.) early 15c., from M.Fr. fecond, from L. fecundus "fruitful, fertile, productive," from *fe-kwondo-, suffixed form of Latin root *fe-, corresponding to PIE *dhe(i)- "to suck, suckle," also "produce, yield" (Cf. Skt. dhayati "sucks," dhayah "nourishing;" Gk. thele "mother's breast, nipple," thelys "female, fruitful;" O.C.S. dojiti "to suckle," dojilica "nurse," deti "child;" Lith. dele "leech;" O.Prus. dadan "milk;" Goth. daddjan "to suckle;" O.Swed. dia "suckle;" O.H.G. tila "female breast;" O.Ir. denaim "I suck," dinu "lamb").
Also from the same Latin root come felare "to suck;" femina "woman" (*fe-mna-, lit. "she who suckles"); felix "happy, auspicious, fruitful;" fetus "offspring, pregnancy;" fenum "hay" (probably lit. "produce"); and probably filia/filius "daughter/son," assimilated from *felios, originally "a suckling."

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • fecund — FECÚND, Ă, fecunzi, de, adj. 1. (biol.) Care este apt să se reproducă; (sens curent) care se înmulţeşte uşor şi repede; prolific. ♦ (Despre pământ, terenuri) Care dă multe roade, care produce mult; roditor, productiv, fertil, mănos. 2. fig.… …   Dicționar Român

  • Fecund — Fec und, a. [L. fecundus, from the root of fetus: cf. F. f[ e]cond. see {Fetus}.] Fruitful in children; prolific. Graunt. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fecund — Fecund, lat. fecundus, fruchtbar; F.ation, Befruchtung; F.ität, Fruchtbarkeit; F.anz, Befruchtungskraft …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • fecund — index fertile, original (creative), productive, prolific Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • fecund — fruitful, prolific, *fertile Analogous words: bearing, producing, yielding (see BEAR): breeding, propagating, reproducing, generating (see GENERATE) Antonyms: barren Contrasted words: *sterile, unfruitful, infertile, impotent …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • fecund — [adj] productive breeding, fertile, fructiferous, fruitful, generating, pregnant, proliferant, prolific, propagating, reproducing, rich, spawning, teeming; concept 537 Ant. impotent, infertile, sterile, unfruitful, unproductive …   New thesaurus

  • fecund — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ highly fertile; able to produce offspring. DERIVATIVES fecundity noun. ORIGIN Latin fecundus …   English terms dictionary

  • fecund — [fē′kənd, fek′ənd] adj. [ME fecound < OFr fecond < L fecundus, fertile: for IE base see FETUS] fruitful or fertile; productive; prolific SYN. FERTILE fecundity [fē kun′də tē, fikun′də tē] n …   English World dictionary

  • fecund — [[t]fi͟ːkənd, fe̱k [/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED When you are talking about living things or natural processes, fecund means the same as fertile. [FORMAL] The pampas are still among the most fecund lands in the world... Large animals are less fecund than… …   English dictionary

  • fecund — /fee kund, keuhnd, fek und, euhnd/, adj. 1. producing or capable of producing offspring, fruit, vegetation, etc., in abundance; prolific; fruitful: fecund parents; fecund farmland. 2. very productive or creative intellectually: the fecund years… …   Universalium

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