herbarium
|her-ba-ri-um|
🇺🇸
/hɜrˈbɛriəm/
🇬🇧
/həˈbɛəriəm/
collection of preserved plant specimens
Etymology
'herbarium' originates from Modern Latin, specifically the word 'herbarium', where 'herba' meant 'grass, herb'.
'herbarium' developed from Latin 'herba' (meaning 'herb') into Late/Medieval Latin 'herbarium' meaning a place or collection of herbs, and was adopted into English as 'herbarium'.
Initially it referred broadly to herbs or collections/books about herbs, but over time it came to mean specifically a curated collection of preserved plant specimens.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study and reference.
The university's herbarium contains thousands of dried plant specimens from around the world.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a place or institution where such a collection is kept (e.g., a museum or research facility's herbarium).
She works at the city herbarium, cataloguing new acquisitions and maintaining the archives.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/13 19:57