Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
arboretum

arboretum

16 8.0
A place where many kinds of trees and bushes are grown for study, display, and protection
  • noun
  • /ˌɑːrbəˈriːtəm/
translation icon : arboreto
  • Townsend is an Agricultural Research Service plant geneticist at the U.S. National Arboretum's Glenn Dale, Maryland, laboratory.
  • the National Arboretum
  • the U.S. National Arboretum
  • arboretum's plant collections

Examples

  • During our visit to the city, we spent the afternoon exploring the stunning collection of plants at the local arboretum.

  • Officials point to the fact that the arboretum is a facility for both research and public education.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Another organization of great value to the arboretum is the National Capital Area Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Discussion also focused on the size and type of arboretum plant collections.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Besides beauty, the arboretum offers its guests special exhibits that often attract a lot of attention.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Jefferson even had an arboretum, which included plants sent from the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Over 50 different cultivated forms of plants will be featured in the arboretum exhibit.

    Academic text (1997)

  • FNPRU has a storied scientific tradition that goes back to when the arboretum was started.

    Academic text (2002)

  • A rose arbor in the background is part of the arboretum's Antique and Historic Rose Garden.

    Academic text (2002)

  • A typical summer day might find Aker scouting one of the arboretum's numerous collections.

    Academic text (1996)

Synonyms

grove
vsarboretum
104 2.8

A small group of trees that grow close together, often planted for fruit

is a larger curated collection of many tree types for study and display
botanical garden
vsarboretum
9 3.5

A garden that grows many kinds of plants for study and for people to enjoy

focuses specifically on trees and shrubs for study and conservation
arbory
vsarboretum
  • Archaic
9.9

An old word for a small area planted with trees where people can walk

is the modern institutional site for many tree species and conservation

How Tree-rich

reserve
49 4.4
arboretum
16 8.0
park
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

arboretum singular
arboretums plural
arboreta plural

Morphology

arboretum = arbor (opaque) = arbor + etum

Although etymologically 'arbor' (tree) + the Latin suffix '-etum' (place of) underlie the form, those elements are Latin borrowings and not productive or familiar to average learners, so the meaning 'place for trees' is not directly derivable.

Etymology

Arboretum comes from the Latin root arbor, meaning 'tree', plus the ending -etum, which means 'a place for a type of plant'. So an arboretum is literally 'a place for trees', which is why it is a garden where many kinds of trees and shrubs are grown for study and show.