caprification

C3A1P3R1I1F4I1C3A1T1I1O1N1

noun

A process for ripening, or pollinating, figs by means of their being punctured artificially, in a manner designed to replicate the way they are pierced by certain insects, which was once thought to aid in their reproduction.

OriginLatin caprifīcātiōnem →
Scrabble 22
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncaprification (usually uncountable, plural caprifications)

plural caprifications

  1. uncountableusuallyA process for ripening, or pollinating, figs by means of their being punctured artificially, in a manner designed to replicate the way they are pierced by certain insects, which was once thought to aid in their reproduction.

    I should conjecture […] that the caprification is either an antient process of imaginary use, and blindly followed in some countries, or that it may contribute to ripen the fig by decreasing its vigour […].

    1789, Erasmus Darwin, The Loves of the Plants, J. Johnson, page 160

Origin

  1. Latincaprifīcus“wild fig tree”
  2. Latincaprifīcātiōnem
  3. Englishcaprification

From Latin caprifīcātiōnem, ultimately from Latin caprifīcus (“wild fig tree”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

crapification
Cite this entry
APA

caprification. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caprification

MLA

“caprification.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caprification. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “caprification,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caprification.

Source: caprification on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.