herbaceous
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of an herb; herblike.
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(of plants or plant parts)
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not woody.
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having the texture, color, etc., of an ordinary foliage leaf.
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adjective
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designating or relating to plants or plant parts that are fleshy as opposed to woody
a herbaceous plant
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(of petals and sepals) green and leaflike
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of or relating to herbs
Other Word Forms
- herbaceously adverb
- semiherbaceous adjective
- unherbaceous adjective
Etymology
Origin of herbaceous
1640–50; < Latin herbāceus grassy, like grass, equivalent to herb ( a ) grass, herbs + -āceus -aceous
Vocabulary lists containing herbaceous
Plants (Botany) - Middle School
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Plants (Botany) - High School
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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.
Conran’s herbaceous borders fall away toward a “ha-ha,” an infinity-edge garden with a hidden wall ditch to make the grass appear continuous with the fields beyond.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
“When it comes to our founder’s favorites, the delicate, herbaceous flavor of sage ranks high on the list,” the As Ever email read.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 4, 2025
Over the past year, 150 people have spent more than 40,000 hours volunteering to maintain green spaces across the resort, including the herbaceous borders at Rotten Row.
From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025
Tangy, herbaceous pickle brine paired with sweet yet tart lemonade is a summertime match made in heaven.
From Salon • Aug. 29, 2025
But Americans pronounce the h in herbaceous, herbicide, and herbivore.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
