horticulture
noun
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Hortus is Latin for "garden", and the first gardens were planted about 10,000 years ago in what is often called the Fertile Crescent—the crescent-shaped area stretching from Israel north through Syria and down Iraq's two great rivers to the Persian Gulf. Probably more fertile in previous centuries than it is today, it was the original home of such food plants as wheat, barley, peas, and lentils or their ancient ancestors (not to mention the ancestors of cows, pigs, sheep, and goats as well). Many horticulturists today work as researchers or plant breeders or tend orchards and greenhouses—but most American households contain at least one amateur horticulturist.
Examples of horticulture in a Sentence
Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2025
First, measure the space where the tree will be displayed, both ceiling height and width of the area, says Bert Cregg, associate professor and extension specialist of horticulture and forestry at Michigan State University.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2024
To raise healthy plants, conventional horticulture banked on the intensive use of chemicals such as fungicides to ward off all kinds of diseases.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024
Amanda Bennett is vice president, horticulture and collections, at Atlanta Botanical Garden.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Horticulture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horticulture. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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horticulture
noun
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