Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'fecund'

English Word: fecund

Key Russian Translations:

• плодородный [plədɐˈrodnɨj] - [Formal, used in agricultural or biological contexts]
• плодовитый [plədɐˈvitɨj] - [Formal, often in contexts of productivity or reproduction]

Frequency: Medium (commonly encountered in academic, agricultural, or scientific texts, but not in everyday casual conversation)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of Russian adjectives and their inflections, though the vocabulary itself is not overly complex for learners at this level)

Pronunciation (Russian):

плодородный: [plədɐˈrodnɨj]

плодовитый: [plədɐˈvitɨj]

Note on плодородный: The stress falls on the third syllable ("rod"), and the "о" in the first syllable is reduced in fast speech, which is common in Russian adjectives. Pay attention to the soft sign (ь) affecting the pronunciation of the final "н".

Note on плодовитый: Stress is on the third syllable ("vit"), and the "о" is also reduced; this word may have slight regional variations in vowel quality.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

First meaning: Fertile (referring to soil, land, or the ability to produce abundantly)

Translation(s) & Context:

• плодородный - Used in formal or technical contexts, such as describing land that supports rich plant growth or in biological discussions.

Usage Examples:

• Эта почва очень плодородная, поэтому здесь всегда хороший урожай.

  This soil is very fecund, so we always have a good harvest here.

• В плодородных регионах России сельское хозяйство развивается быстро.

  In the fecund regions of Russia, agriculture develops rapidly.

• Благодаря плодородному климату, сады в этой долине полны фруктов.

  Thanks to the fecund climate, the gardens in this valley are full of fruits.

• Ученые изучают, как сделать плодородной почву в засушливых районах.

  Scientists are studying how to make the soil fecund in arid regions.

Second meaning: Productive or prolific (referring to people, animals, or ideas that produce abundantly)

Translation(s) & Context:

• плодовитый - Applied in contexts of creativity, reproduction, or high output, such as in literature or biology.

Usage Examples:

• Этот писатель был очень плодовитым и написал десятки книг.

  This writer was very fecund and wrote dozens of books.

• В природе некоторые животные плодовитые, чтобы выжить в суровых условиях.

  In nature, some animals are fecund to survive in harsh conditions.

• Ее плодовитый ум генерирует новые идеи каждый день.

  Her fecund mind generates new ideas every day.

• Плодовитый период в истории искусства принес множество шедевров.

  The fecund period in art history produced many masterpieces.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both "плодородный" and "плодовитый" are Russian adjectives, which typically inflect based on gender, number, and case. Russian adjectives agree with the nouns they modify and follow regular patterns for most first-declension adjectives.

These adjectives follow regular inflection patterns, but always ensure agreement with the noun's gender, number, and case. There are no irregular forms for these words.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • урожайный (urozhainyy) - Similar to плодородный, but more focused on yield in agriculture; slight nuance in emphasizing output over general fertility.
  • богатый (bogatyi) - Used for rich or abundant resources, often in a broader sense.
• Antonyms:
  • бесплодный (besplodnyy) - Directly opposite, meaning barren or infertile.
  • неплодовитый (neplodovitiiy) - Meaning unproductive or unprolific.

Related Phrases:

• плодородная земля - Fecund land; a common phrase in geographical or agricultural discussions, referring to highly productive soil.
• плодовитый автор - Fecund author; used in literary contexts to describe a writer with high output.
• сделать почву плодородной - To make soil fecund; implies efforts to enrich land for better yields.

Usage Notes:

"Fecund" corresponds most closely to "плодородный" when discussing fertility of land or resources, and to "плодовитый" for ideas of productivity. In Russian, these words are formal and are rarely used in casual speech; opt for them in academic or professional writing. Always ensure adjective agreement with the noun in gender, number, and case. When choosing between translations, use "плодородный" for physical fertility and "плодовитый" for metaphorical or human productivity to maintain precision.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Using "плодородный" without proper inflection, e.g., saying "плодородный почва" instead of "плодородная почва" (feminine noun).
  Correct: "плодородная почва" - Explanation: Russian adjectives must agree in gender; "почва" is feminine, so the adjective ends in "-ая".
• Mistake: Confusing with "богатый" and overgeneralizing it as a synonym, leading to imprecise meaning.
  Correct: Use "плодородный" for fertility specifically, not just wealth; "богатый" implies richness but not necessarily productivity.
• Mistake: Misplacing stress in pronunciation, e.g., stressing the wrong syllable in "плодородный".
  Correct: Always stress "rod" to avoid sounding unnatural; practice with native audio for accuracy.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like "плодородный" often evoke historical agricultural significance, as Russia's vast fertile lands (e.g., the Black Earth region) have been central to its economy and identity. This ties into themes of resilience and abundance in Russian literature, such as in Tolstoy's works, where fecund soil symbolizes prosperity and national strength.

Related Concepts:

• урожай (urozhai) - Harvest
• фертильность (fertílʹnostʹ) - Fertility (a loanword from Latin, used in scientific contexts)
• производительность (proizvoditelʹnostʹ) - Productivity