arboreal
adjective
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Head to the Forest to Define Arboreal
Arboreal took root in English in the 17th century, at a time when language influencers were eager to see English take on words from Latin and Greek. Apparently unsatisfied with the now-obsolete word treen (“of, relating to, or derived from trees”), they plucked arboreal from the Latin arboreus, meaning “of a tree”; its ultimate root is arbor, meaning “tree.” That root arborized—that is, branched freely (to use the term figuratively): English abounds with largely obscure words that trace back to arbor, meaning “tree.” Generally synonymous with arboreal are arboraceous, arborary, arboreous, and arborous. Synonymous with arboreal specifically in the sense of “relating to or resembling a tree” are arborescent, arboresque, arborical, and arboriform. Arboricole is a synonym of arboreal in its “inhabiting trees” sense. (The influencers may have overdone it a bit.) Arboreal is far more common than any of these, but other arbor words also have a firm hold in the language: arborvitae refers to a shrub whose name translates as “tree of life”; arboretum refers to a place where trees are cultivated; and arboriculture is the cultivation of trees. And of course we can't forget Arbor Day, which since 1872 has named a day set aside for planting trees. Despite its spelling, however, the English word arbor, which refers to a garden shelter of tree boughs or vines twined together, has a different source: it came by way of Anglo-French from the Latin herba, meaning “herb” or “grass.”
Examples of arboreal in a Sentence
Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
The dinosaurs died out, the arboreal mammals declined, and the terrestrial mammals thrived.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025
Squirrels aren’t the only arboreal jumpers out there, and there’s likely more to learn from other animals—Salto was originally inspired by the galago (also known as bush babies), although those are more difficult to find on the UC Berkeley campus.
—IEEE Spectrum, 19 Mar. 2025
The crab-eating macaque, or Macaca fascicularis, a highly adaptable primate found west of Wallace’s Line, developed a long tail that aids in its arboreal lifestyle.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arboreal
Cite this Entry
“Arboreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arboreal. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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arboreal
adjective
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