horticulture
Americannoun
-
the cultivation of a garden, orchard, or nursery; the cultivation of flowers, fruits, vegetables, or ornamental plants.
-
the science and art of cultivating such plants.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of horticulture
First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin hort(us) “garden” + (agr)iculture
Explanation
Horticulture is a nice long word for "gardening." If you study horticulture, you learn about plant propagation, soil, fertilizer — everything that makes a good garden. The word horticulture was coined in the late 17th century — when some serious gardens were being planned and executed in England — and is based on the Latin word for "garden," hortus, combined with the suffix -culture, mostly likely in the same way as the word agriculture.
Vocabulary lists containing horticulture
Tangerine
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Dirty Words: The Language of Gardening
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Human Geography - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Researchers from Nanjing Agricultural University and the University of Connecticut, publishing in Horticulture Research, explored this possibility using woodland strawberries.
From Science Daily • May 5, 2026
Official surveys from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board recently found the amount of wheat planted is 9% down, the lowest for 20 years.
From BBC • Aug. 8, 2024
"They use volatiles because they can't talk," said Natalia Dudareva, Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue.
From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2024
Skagit Horticulture, which supplies hundreds of plant varieties to growers and retailers across North America, said it was closing operations, including in Mount Vernon and Yakima County, and laying off 169 workers, effective April 7.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2024
Millet arranged to borrow tropical plants and trees from the Horticulture Building and have them moved to the lakeshore.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
