botany

American  

[bot-n-ee] / ˈbɒt n i /

noun

• botanies
  plural

1. the science of plants; the branch of biology that deals with plant life.

2. the plant life of a region.

   the botany of Alaska.

3. the biology of a plant or plant group.

   the botany of deciduous trees.

4. (sometimes initial capital letter) Botany wool.

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botany British  

/ ˈbɒtənɪ /

noun

1. the study of plants, including their classification, structure, physiology, ecology, and economic importance

2. the plant life of a particular region or time

3. the biological characteristics of a particular group of plants

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botany Scientific  

/ bŏt′n-ē /

1. The scientific study of plants, including their growth, structure, physiology, reproduction, and pathology, as well as their economic use and cultivation by humans.

2. The plant life of a particular area.

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botany Cultural  

1. The scientific study and categorization of plants. (See fruit, photosynthesis, and plant kingdom.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• botanist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• botanies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of botany

1690–1700; botan(ic) ( see botanical) + -y ³

Explanation

The study of plants is called botany. Each climate has its own particular botany, so if you study desert growth, you might focus on such plants as cactus and sage, while if you're in the jungle you'd study the lush growth there. Someone once said, "Botany is the science in which plants are known by their aliases." Indeed, the study of botany includes learning the scientific names of plants. The origin of the word botany came from the Greek word botane, which means "grass" or "pasture." Since the original meaning focused on the idea of a pasture, it's possible the study of botany came about from herdsmen needing to know what plants were safe for their herds to eat.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

botany botanies

Specialists in zoology, ecology, and botany worked together to uncover how different species manage to survive there.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 2, 2026

Simon Milne, whose formal title is regius keeper, has been recognised for his services to botany, conservation and horticulture.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

First, a botany crash-course: You can’t just plant a seed from your favorite apple to grow more of them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

“We’ve always been intrigued by overlap between plants and humans,” study coauthor Pradeep Kachroo, a botany professor at the University of Kentucky, told Salon in a video interview.

From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2025

He was knowledgeable in all the sciences: botany, astronomy, psychology, anatomy, alchemy, geology, chemistry....

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Aside from laxity of method and statement, the only difference is that geographies and histories and botanies and astronomies are now part of the authoritative literature which is to be mastered.

From Democracy and Education: an introduction to the philosophy of education by John Dewey

They packed in all their bird books, their flower records, and botanies, and were eagerly waiting when the call from Mr. Dovesky came.

From Michael O'Halloran by Gene Stratton-Porter

For this purpose I have drawn all the shapes I can find named in botanies, into a book, from which I teach them.

From Guide to the Kindergarten and Intermediate Class and Moral Culture of Infancy. by Mary E. Mann

It is to be presumed that it has an unwieldy scientific cognomen in the botanies; but I heard of no common one, except that given by the poet.

From A Bird-Lover in the West by Olive Thorne Miller

The difficulty in tree study by the aid of the usual botanies lies mainly in the fact that in using them the first essential parts to be examined are the blossoms and their organs.

From Trees of the Northern United States Their Study, Description and Determination by A. C. (Austin Craig) Apgar