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

From architecture to botany to labor practices, the people, places and culture with which Jefferson interacted became integral to the vision of America he would begin to implement on his return to the States.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

He learned through writing the book that his mother hailed from a “family of brilliant and daring misfits who had carved new paths in botany and medicine and left-wing politics,” he writes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2026

"Through this paper, we aim to raise awareness of forensic botany and encourage law enforcement to recognize the value of even the smallest plant fragments during investigations."

From Science Daily ● Jan. 1, 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

Soon after Mendel was done, a professor of botany stood up to discuss Darwin's Origin and the theory of evolution.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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 was the germander speedwell that in literature and botanies alike was most commonly known as the forget-me-not for more than two hundred years, or until only fifty years ago.

From Wild Flowers Worth Knowing by Neltje Blanchan

She was familiar with many members of she family, but such a fine specimen she seldom had found and she could not recall having seen it in all of her botanies.

From Her Father's Daughter by Gene Stratton-Porter

It was the germander speedwell that in literature and botanies alike was most commonly known as the forget-me-not for over two hundred years, or until only fifty years ago.

From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Neltje Blanchan

From it I have sent to scientists flowers and vines not then classified and illustrated in our botanies.

From Moths of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter