Inarching

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A horticultural method that joins a branch to its originating plant to foster growth is known in the field of plant propagation
2. A technique in horticulture where a shoot is united with its own rootstock to encourage growth
3. A method of plant propagation that connects a branch back onto the original plant to ensure nourishment

Etymology: "Inarching" is the present participle and gerund of "inarch," so the verb is the one to trace. To "inarch" is to graft a plant by bringing a shoot still attached to its parent plant (or a separate rootstock) into contact with a stock, so the two join and the shoot can grow on. The grafting sense is the root of the whole word, and the "in" in front points to the idea of bringing one thing into another. The rest of the word is a standard English construction. The verb "inarch" was formed in English by prefixing "in-" to "arch," the old horticultural verb for grafting, which traces back to Old French "archer" and ultimately to Latin "arcus," meaning "bow." The image is of a shoot bent over in an arch until it reaches the stock it will join. The "-ing" ending simply turns the verb into a participle or gerund, so "inarching" names the act itself, as in "inarching a fruit tree in spring."