ethnobotany

[eth-noh-bot-n-ee]

noun

1. the plant lore and agricultural customs of a people.

2. Anthropology.,  the systematic study of such lore and customs.

ethnobotany

/ ˌɛθnəʊˈbɒtənɪ /

noun

1. the branch of botany concerned with the use of plants in folklore, religion, etc

Other Word Forms

• ethnobotanist noun
• ethnobotanic adjective
• ethnobotanical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ethnobotany¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; ethno- + botany

Example Sentences

“I’ll order copies of a new book on Mayan ethnobotany,” he added, “but I won’t read it with the same gimlet eye that Nach would.”

Read more on New York Times

Healing Gardens is offering 17 gardens for rent throughout Los Angeles, as well as the WorldBeat Cultural Center’s Ethnobotany Peace Garden in San Diego.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After cancellations last March and April of in-person rattle-making, birdwatching and ethnobotany classes, digital offerings for carving and beading lessons began appearing on the tribe’s calendar in May.

Read more on Seattle Times

Healing Gardens is offering 17 gardens for rent throughout Los Angeles as well as the WorldBeat Cultural Center’s Ethnobotany Peace Garden in San Diego.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The Paris-born Alice Duvernell spent the early part of her career in ethnobotany, the study of a region’s plants and their practical uses, at a nature preserve in northeastern Brazil.

Read more on New York Times