botanical
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of botanical
1650–60; botanic (< Medieval Latin botanicus < Greek botanikós of plants, equivalent to botán ( ē ) herb + -ikos -ic ) + -al 1
Explanation
Use the adjective botanical to describe something that has to do with plants. You might call your illustrated book of New England ferns and mosses a botanical guide. Botanical research involves the study of plants, and a botanical scientist — or botanist — has focused her career on learning about plants. If there are botanical substances in your favorite soda, it means that in addition to sugar and chemicals, there are plant ingredients too. Botanical comes from botanic, which has its root in the Greek word botanikos, "of herbs."
Vocabulary lists containing botanical
My Side of the Mountain
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The Most Beautiful Roof in the World
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"Allied with Green," Vocabulary from the short story
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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.
A 2025 study in Botanical Sciences examined chinicuil extraction from Agave applanata populations and found that populations without extraction had higher growth rates.
From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026
The Botanical Gardens, a redwood grove, pickleball courts and a panoramic view of the city are an easy bike ride from home.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
Roman Ivannikov has spent around 30 years pampering orchids, azaleas and figs at Ukraine's National Botanical Garden, but power cuts triggered by Russian strikes are threatening to freeze his cherished collection of tropical plants.
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
The first U.S. corpse flower bloom occurred in 1937 at the New York Botanical Garden.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2025
I was homesick for the lush green hillsides of my valley, so Yma, who worked at the hospital, had arranged a trip to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
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.
