horticulture

American  

[hawr-ti-kuhl-cher] / ˈhɔr tɪˌkʌl tʃər /

noun

1. the cultivation of a garden, orchard, or nursery; the cultivation of flowers, fruits, vegetables, or ornamental plants.

2. the science and art of cultivating such plants.

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horticulture British  

/ ˈhɔːtɪˌkʌltʃə /

noun

1. the art or science of cultivating gardens

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horticulture Cultural  

1. The science of cultivating garden plants.

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Other Word Forms

• horticulturist
  noun
• horticultural
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of horticulture

First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin hort(us) “garden” + (agr)iculture

Explanation

Horticulture is a nice long word for "gardening." If you study horticulture, you learn about plant propagation, soil, fertilizer — everything that makes a good garden. The word horticulture was coined in the late 17th century — when some serious gardens were being planned and executed in England — and is based on the Latin word for "garden," hortus, combined with the suffix -culture, mostly likely in the same way as the word agriculture.

Related Words

• agriculture
• cultivation
• farming