Meanings
nouncultigen (plural cultigens)
plural cultigens
- agricultureA plant that has been deliberately altered or selected by humans, that is it has resulted from artificial rather than natural selection.First known use 1918
Synonyms: anthropogenic plant · Antonyms: indigen
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA plant that has been deliberately altered or selected by humans, that is it has resulted from artificial rather than natural selection.
Similar
anthropogenic plant
Opposite
Origin
From culti(vated) + -gen, or from Latin cultus (“cultivated”) + gēns (“kind”). Coined by American botanist Liberty Hyde Bailey in 1918.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
cultigen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cultigen
MLA
“cultigen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cultigen. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cultigen,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cultigen.
Source: cultigen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.