Arboretum

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɑː(ɹ)bəˈɹiːtəm/

Definitions

1. A facility established for the cultivation, examination, and display of trees, which serves educational, scientific, and recreational purposes
2. An area specifically designed to research, showcase, and enjoy diverse tree species, usually for public and academic benefit
3. A site devoted to the systematic growth and study of various tree species, providing opportunities for education, research, and leisure activities

Etymology: The Latin "arborētum" was a practical word before it was a botanical one: it meant a place where trees grew or were planted, a plantation of trees, with no suggestion of display or scientific collection. That plain sense is what English borrowed when it took the term directly from Latin, so the modern idea of a collection of trees kept for study and beauty is a later refinement on the original meaning. The Latin root is "arbor," simply "tree," which also gives English words such as arboreal and the arbour, though the arbour came to English through a different route and is a separate word in its own right. The ending "-etum" is the standard Latin suffix for a place where a particular plant grows, so the word was built on the same pattern as older terms for orchards, vineyards and similar plantings.

Synonyms: tree garden, botanical garden