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Synonyms

arboretum

American  
[ahr-buh-ree-tuhm] / ˌɑr bəˈri təm /

noun

plural

arboretums, arboreta

  1. a plot of land on which many different trees or shrubs are grown for study or display.

arboretum British  
/ ˌɑːbəˈriːtəm /

noun

  1. a place where trees or shrubs are cultivated for their scientific or educational interest

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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 ( alameda )

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.

When Daisy was a pup, Koerner began planting dozens of native plants near the Aleppo pines and fig trees, creating what he called their campground arboretum.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2025

Bombaa also complains about how ordinary Nairobians, often scrabbling to make a living, have to pay to enter some of their city’s most beautiful locations such as the arboretum or Karura forest.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2024

Peterson tasted his first pawpaw, from a wild growing tree, in his university's arboretum as a graduate student studying plant genetics.

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2024

Azalea Way, a major path in the heart of the arboretum, guides walkers for three-quarters of a mile past cherry trees in addition to dogwoods, magnolias and glowing displays of azaleas.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 12, 2024

There was an arboretum on the roof of my apartment building.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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.