Manure
Pronunciation
- GenAm IPA: /məˈn(j)ur/
- Hyphenation: ma + nure
- Rhymes: -uËr
Origin
From Middle English manuren ("to manure"), from Old French manovrer (whence also English maneuver), from Vulgar Latin *manuoperare ("work by hand"), from Latin manu ("") + operari ("to work").
Full definition of manure
Verb
- To cultivate by manual labor; to till; hence, to develop by culture.
- Surreyto whom we gave the strand for to manure
- John DonneManure thyself then; to thyself be improved;
And with vain, outward things be no more moved. - To apply manure (as fertilizer or soil improver).The farmer manured his fallow field.
- ShakespeareThe blood of English shall manure the ground.
Derived terms
Noun
manure
(countable and uncountable; plural manures)- Animal excrement, especially that of common domestic farm animals and when used as fertilizer. Generally speaking, from cows, horses, sheep, pigs and chickens.
- 21 April 2014, Mary Keen, You can still teach an old gardener new tricks: Even the hardiest of us gardeners occasionally learn useful new techniques [print version: Gardening is always ready to teach even the hardiest of us a few new tricks, 19 April 2014], The very wet winter will have washed much of the goodness out of the soil. Homemade compost and the load of manure we get from a friendly farmer may not be enough to compensate for what has leached from the ground.