Botanicals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A category of plant-derived substances used for various purposes, encompassing flavoring agents, medicinal components, and ingredients in personal care products
2. Natural products sourced from plants that may serve in culinary, therapeutic, or cosmetic applications, highlighting their diverse utility
3. Items derived from flora that are utilized for flavor, medication, and cosmetic enhancement, representing a broad range of uses in different fields

Etymology: "Botanicals" is simply the plural of "botanical," which in turn is "botany" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ical" attached. "Botany" comes from Greek "botanē," meaning pasture or fodder, and so originally referred to plants in the sense of things that grazing animals eat. The "-ical" ending, which English inherited through Latin and French from the Greek "-ikos," turns a noun into an adjective meaning "relating to" that noun, so a botanical is anything relating to plants. The noun use is the more recent shift. Adjectives often get used on their own as nouns, and "botanicals" now names a category of plant-derived ingredients, such as herbs, roots, barks, and flowers, used in foods, medicines, cosmetics, and teas. The plural form reflects that it refers to many distinct plant materials at once.

Synonyms: herbs, plants