arboretum
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of arboretum
1830–40; < Latin arborētum a plantation of trees, equivalent to arbor tree + -ētum suffix denoting place where a given plant grows ( cf. alameda)
Explanation
In even the busiest of cities you can often find an arboretum, a sort of museum for trees, where many different types of trees and shrubs are growing, kept for scientific study and for the enjoyment of the general population. The word arboretum comes from the Latin arbor, "tree," and the suffix -ētum, "place," making the meaning "a place of trees." The concept of the arboretum goes back even further than the word itself, all the way to the ancient pharaohs of Egypt, who raised and studied trees from other lands. The oldest known arboretum in the Western world is the Trsteno Arboretum, in Trsteno, Croatia, which was established in the 15th century.
Vocabulary lists containing arboretum
"Allied with Green," Vocabulary from the short story
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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Lesson 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Charles, the head of the UK's armed forces, was joined by dozens of serving personnel and veterans at Monday's dedication of the memorial, called "An Opened Letter", at the National Memorial Arboretum in central Staffordshire.
From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025
Torres made her first pumpkin display at home in 2013, inspired by the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden’s Pumpkin Village, which features over 100,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash spread over 66 acres.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025
Its site at the Arboretum is in line of sight of the Armed Forces Memorial and in an area where there are also other war memorials.
From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025
He is also concerned by life expectancy in Normanton and Arboretum.
From BBC • Sep. 11, 2025
Trees within the Connecticut Arboretum Natural Area were seriously injured when the town of Waterford sprayed the roadsides with chemical weed killers in 1957.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
