afforest

English

Etymology

First attested in the 16th century. From Medieval Latin afforēstō, from ad (“towards”) + forēsta (“forest”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈfɒɹɪst/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈfɔɹɪst/, /əˈfɒɹɪst/

Verb

afforest (third-person singular simple present afforests, present participle afforesting, simple past and past participle afforested)

1. (transitive) To make into forest

   After we leave the quarry, we intend to afforest the land and turn it into a nature reserve

Usage notes

"Afforest" once connoted bringing woodland under forest law in order to provide hunting grounds. However today the verb is more likely to connote commercial exploitation.

Synonyms

• (to make into forest): forest

Antonyms

• (to make into forest): deforest

Derived terms

• afforestable
• afforestation

• afforester
• afforestment

Translations

make into a forest

• Bulgarian: залесявам (zalesjavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 綠化 (zh), 绿化 (zh) (lǜhuà)

• Esperanto: arbarigi
• Finnish: metsittää (fi)

• Ido: arborizar (io)
• Irish: foraoisigh, coilltigh
• Polish: zalesiać (pl) impf, zalesić pf
• Portuguese: florestar
• Romanian: împăduri (ro)

References

• 2005, Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, The Oxford Dictionary of English (2nd edition revised), Oxford University Press, →ISBN
• 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN
• “Afforest, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989.
• “afforest” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.