fecundity

/fɪˈkʌndəti/ (bre, ipa) · /fɪˈkʌndəti/ (ame, ipa) · /fēˈkəndətē -dətē, -i/ (ame, mw)

fecundity — noun

1. the natural power of land, plants, animals, or people to produce many young, see

1.名詞C2
釋義

the natural power of land, plants, animals, or people to produce many young, seeds, or crops — for example, soil that grows rich harvests year after year, or a hen that lays many eggs.

例句

The fecundity of the Nile valley supported ancient Egyptian farming for centuries.

the fecundity of [place]: land's power to grow crops

Karim was amazed by the fecundity of the rabbits on his uncle's farm.

the fecundity of [animal group]: power to bear many young

同義詞
  • fertility

    much more common everyday word; same meaning but used in ordinary speech, not just formal writing

  • fruitfulness

    literary; often used of land and plants rather than animals or people

  • productiveness

    broader — covers any kind of high output, not only biological reproduction

反義詞
  • infertility

    the inability to reproduce; common everyday term

  • barrenness

    literary; usually of land that grows nothing or a person who cannot have children

文法句型

the fecundity of [N]

用法筆記

Subject is usually land, soil, an animal group, or, more rarely, a human family. Almost always uncountable and preceded by 'the fecundity of …'. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about ideas and creative work, not biology.

常見錯誤

❌She has many fecundities for raising plants.
✅She has a real talent for raising plants.
💡'fecundity' is uncountable and refers to reproductive power, not personal skill.
❌The cow's fecundity gave birth to twins.
✅The cow gave birth to twins, a sign of her fecundity.
💡fecundity is a quality, not an agent that performs an action.

2. the impressive ability of a person, mind, or period of history to produce many n

2.名詞C2
釋義

the impressive ability of a person, mind, or period of history to produce many new ideas, works of art, books, or inventions — for example, an author who writes dozens of strong novels, or a decade that gives birth to new schools of painting.

例句

Critics often praise the fecundity of Picasso's imagination during his early Paris years.

the fecundity of [N]'s imagination: rich creative output

Wren's fecundity as a children's author surprised even her publisher, who expected one book a year.

applied to an individual creator: many works produced

同義詞
  • creativity

    the everyday word; covers the same idea but without 'fecundity's' emphasis on large quantity of output

  • productivity

    neutral and common; focuses on amount produced rather than quality or originality

  • inventiveness

    stresses the originality of the ideas rather than the number of them

反義詞
  • sterility

    formal; used of a mind or period that produces nothing original

  • unproductiveness

    neutral, everyday word for failing to produce results

文法句型

the fecundity of [N]'s mind/imagination/work

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person's mind/imagination, a creator's career, or a historical period. The output is non-biological — ideas, books, art, music, inventions. Distinguish from sense 1, which refers to biological reproduction of crops, animals, or children.

常見錯誤

❌His paintings show great fecundity.
✅His paintings show great inventiveness.
💡'fecundity' describes the creator's overall ability to produce many works, not a quality visible inside one finished work.