botany

noun

bot·​a·​ny ˈbä-tə-nē 

ˈbät-nē

plural botanies

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 plant group

3

: a botanical treatise or study

especially : a particular system of botany

botanist

ˈbä-tə-nist 

ˈbät-nist

noun

Examples of botany in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rao took over, and replaced required courses in botany and zoology with genetics and molecular biology. — Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

As economic botany expanded throughout the New World, European collectors sought plants with potential commercial, medicinal, and agricultural value. — Kari Traylor, JSTOR Daily, 29 July 2026

Rather than carrying out environmental surveillance through the separate lenses of zoology, botany, microbiology and epidemiology, eDNA acts as a continuous genomic observatory. — Jenny Whilde, The Conversation, 7 July 2026

Since 2015, Victory Brewing has been brewing beers for Longwood Gardens, using ingredients from Longwood’s Idea Garden, demonstrating how botany and brewery can meet. — Don Tse, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

botanic botanical + -y entry 2

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for botany

• cottony
• ethnobotany
• monotony
• paleobotany

Kids Definition

botany

noun

bot·​a·​ny ˈbät-ᵊn-e 

ˈbät-ne

1

: a branch of biology dealing with plant life

2

a

: plant life (as of a given region)

b

: the biology of a plant or plant group

Medical Definition

botany

noun

bot·​a·​ny ˈbät-ᵊn-ē, ˈbät-nē 

plural botanies

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 plant group

3

: a botanical treatise or study

especially : a particular system of botany