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

These include — but are not limited to — archery, running, cycling, coin collecting, gardening, botany, woodworking, beekeeping, syruping, golf, and tae kwon do. —Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2025

The gardens look calm compared with Davis’ office, which is a chaos of files, centuries-old botany books, coffee grinders, pots and filters, as well as bags, boxes and jars filled with rare coffee beans. —Marta Zaraska, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025

There are workshops on everything from botany to photography, as well as hikes and tours at all levels. —Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 8 May 2025

At first, Davis says, his work was pure botany, just filling out the Coffea family tree. —Marta Zaraska, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025

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