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botany - 8 dictionary results

bot⋅a⋅ny

  [bot-n-ee]
Use botany in a Sentence
–noun, plural -nies.
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.
Origin:
1690–1700; botan(ic) (see botanical ) + -y 3

Botany wool

 
–noun
a fine wool obtained from merino sheep.
Also called botany.

Origin:
1880–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bot·a·ny   (bŏt'n-ē)   
n.   pl. bot·a·nies
    1. The science or study of plants.
    2. A book or scholarly work on this subject.
  2. The plant life of a particular area: the botany of the Ohio River valley.
  3. The characteristic features and biology of a particular kind of plant or plant group.

[Back-formation from earlier botanic, botanical, from Late Latin botanicus; see botanical.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Botany

Bot"a*ny\, n.; pl. Botanies. [F. botanique, a. & n., fr. Gr. ? botanic, fr. ? herb, plant, fr. ? to feed, graze.]

1. The science which treats of the structure of plants, the functions of their parts, their places of growth, their classification, and the terms which are employed in their description and denomination. See Plant.

2. A book which treats of the science of botany.

Note: Botany is divided into various departments; as,

Structural Botany, which investigates the structure and organic composition of plants;

Physiological Botany, the study of their functions and life; and

Systematic Botany, which has to do with their classification, description, nomenclature, etc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : botany
Spanish: botánica,
German: die Botanik,
Japanese: 植物学
More Translations »

botany

The scientific study and categorization of plants. (See fruit, photosynthesis, and plant kingdom.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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botany 
1696, from botanic (1656), from Fr. botanique or M.L. botanicus, from Gk. botanikos "of herbs," from botane "a plant, pasture, fodder." The -y is from astronomy, etc. Botany Bay so called by Capt. Cook on account of the great variety of plants found there.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: bot·a·ny
Pronunciation: 'bät-&n-E, 'bät-nE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -nies
1 : a branch of biology dealing with plant life
2 a : plant life b : the properties and life phenomena exhibited by a plant, plant type, or plantgroup
3 : a botanical treatise or study; especially : a particular system of botany
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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botany   (bŏt'n-ē)  Pronunciation Key 
  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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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