horticulture
noun
Did you know?
Hortus is Latin for "garden", and the first gardens were planted about 10,000 years ago in what is often called the Fertile Crescent—the crescent-shaped area stretching from Israel north through Syria and down Iraq's two great rivers to the Persian Gulf. Probably more fertile in previous centuries than it is today, it was the original home of such food plants as wheat, barley, peas, and lentils or their ancient ancestors (not to mention the ancestors of cows, pigs, sheep, and goats as well). Many horticulturists today work as researchers or plant breeders or tend orchards and greenhouses—but most American households contain at least one amateur horticulturist.
Examples of horticulture in a Sentence
ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Chris Enroth, horticulture educator at the University of Illinois Extension in Macomb, Illinois, is noticing that this year the flora is two weeks ahead of the typical spring.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026
Steve Corcoran is an experienced horticulture expert and CEO of the landscaping company Lawn Love.
—Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 5 Apr. 2026
Anthony Reardon is a horticulture agent with Johnson County, K-State University Extension.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for horticulture
Cite this Entry
“Horticulture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horticulture. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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horticulture
noun
