botany
Americannoun
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the science of plants; the branch of biology that deals with plant life.
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the plant life of a region.
the botany of Alaska.
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the biology of a plant or plant group.
the botany of deciduous trees.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) Botany wool.
noun
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the study of plants, including their classification, structure, physiology, ecology, and economic importance
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the plant life of a particular region or time
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the biological characteristics of a particular group of plants
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The scientific study of plants, including their growth, structure, physiology, reproduction, and pathology, as well as their economic use and cultivation by humans.
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The plant life of a particular area.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of botany
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.
Vocabulary lists containing botany
"When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine," Vocabulary from the short story
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Astronauts
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Where the Watermelons Grow
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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.
Helen Litchfield, secretary of the botany section at La Société Guernesiaise, said the team's efforts in propagating the dwarf pansy meant it was no longer at risk.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
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
Innovation in seagrass restoration requires broad, incremental advancements in knowledge around foundational marine science, botany, and data collection, which may make it relatively costlier and slower to implement.
From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2024
Skid’s into botany and there’s an elusive variety of musk thistle that he’s desperate to track down.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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.
