Where does “botanist” come from?
Botanist derives from English botany plus Latin -ista, from Ancient Greek -ιστής and -ίζω, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -idyé-, -idyéti, and -yéti.
botanist (English): A person engaged in botany, the scientific study...
Definitions
- A person engaged in botany, the scientific study...
Ancestry of “botanist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | botany | The scientific study of plants, a branch of... |
| 2 | English | botanic | Of or pertaining to botany; Any substance of... |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | botanicus | — |
| 4 | French | botanique | botanical; botany |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | βοτανικός | pertaining to herbs |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | βοτάνη | grass, fodder, pasture; herb |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | βόσκω | feed, tend; feed, graze |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeh₃- | to graze, pasture; to keep |