arbuscula
|ar-bus-cu-la|
🇺🇸
/ɑrˈbʌskjʊlə/
🇬🇧
/ɑːˈbʌskjʊlə/
small tree / shrubby
Etymology
'arbuscula' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'arbuscula', where the root 'arbor' meant 'tree' and the diminutive suffix '-cula' meant 'small' or 'little'.
'arbuscula' comes from Classical Latin (diminutive of 'arbor'), continued in Medieval/Neo-Latin usage and was preserved in botanical Latin as a specific epithet (e.g. used in species names), entering modern scientific nomenclature.
Initially it meant 'little tree' in Latin; over time it has been retained mainly in scientific/botanical contexts to mean 'shrubby' or 'resembling a small tree'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a small tree or shrub; (used in Latin/botanical names) a diminutive form indicating a shrubby or small-tree habit.
The species epithet 'arbuscula' indicates the plant tends to be a small tree or shrub (e.g. Artemisia arbuscula).
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Adjective 1
shrubby; having the form or habit of a small tree or shrub — often used as a botanical epithet meaning 'somewhat shrubby' or 'diminutive tree-like'.
Botanists used 'arbuscula' as an epithet to describe the plant's arbuscular (shrubby) habit.
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Last updated: 2025/10/03 12:32