botany

[bot-n-ee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR botany ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural bot·a·nies.

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

the plant life of a region: the botany of Alaska.

the biology of a plant or plant group: the botany of deciduous trees.

(sometimes initial capital letter) Botany wool.

Origin of botany

1690–1700; botan(ic) (see botanical) + -y³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for botany

horticulture, ecology, anatomy, cytology, phytology, pomology, taxonomy, morphology, genetics, pathology, physiology, dendrology, floristics, phytogeography

Examples from the Web for botany

Contemporary Examples of botany

The Garden of Cyrus, with its arcane explorations of botany and geometry, may as well be an alchemical treatise or a grimoire.
Halloween Read: Thomas Browne’s Eerie Premonition of His Burial
Stefan Beck
October 30, 2012
And she has amassed a world-class 10,000-volume library devoted to botany through the ages.
John Edwards' Sugar Mama
Lloyd Grove
January 29, 2010

Historical Examples of botany

Fortunately, the botany of the grape is comparatively simple.
Manual of American Grape-Growing
U. P. Hedrick
Naturally it is ignorant of botany, and knows nothing of cuttings.
The Industries of Animals
Frdric Houssay
That is idealising the study of botany in a most delicious way.
Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland
Daniel Turner Holmes
A young lady, I will imagine, wishes to introduce the study of Botany into her school.
The Teacher
Jacob Abbott
He is soon to marry a lady who lectures on Botany in Oxford.
Prairie Farmer, Vol. 56: No. 3, January 19, 1884.
Various

British Dictionary definitions for botany

botany

noun plural -nies

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

the plant life of a particular region or time

the biological characteristics of a particular group of plants

Derived Formsbotanist, noun

Word Origin for botany

C17: from botanical; compare astronomy, astronomical

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

Word Origin and History for botany

1690s, from botanic. The -y is from astronomy, etc. Botany Bay so called by Capt. Cook on account of the great variety of plants found there.

botany in Science

botany

[bŏt′n-ē]

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

The plant life of a particular area.

botany in Culture

botany

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