paleobotany

1 of 2

noun

pa·​leo·​bot·​a·​ny ˌpā-lē-ō-ˈbä-tə-nē How to pronounce paleobotany (audio)
-ˈbät-nē
: a branch of botany dealing with fossil plants
paleobotanical
ˌpā-lē-ō-bə-ˈta-ni-kəl How to pronounce paleobotany (audio)
adjective
or less commonly paleobotanic
ˌpā-lē-ō-bə-ˈta-nik How to pronounce paleobotany (audio)
paleobotanically
ˌpā-lē-ō-bə-ˈta-ni-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce paleobotany (audio)
adverb
paleobotanist
ˌpā-lē-ō-ˈbä-tə-nist How to pronounce paleobotany (audio)
-ˈbät-nist
noun

paleobotanical

2 of 2

adjective

pa·​leo·​botanical
variants or paleobotanic
"+ How to pronounce paleobotanical (audio)
: of or relating to paleobotany
paleobotanically
"+ How to pronounce paleobotanical (audio)
adverb

Examples of paleobotany in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Around that time, Friis met Pedersen, a young paleobotany professor in Aarhus, who was curious about the origins of flowering plants. — Ben Crair, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2023 For all his deceit and disgrace, Mellaart made discoveries that led to an explosion of archaeological interest in the region, and gave a lift to the emerging science of paleobotany. — Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Aug. 2021 This area has an intrinsically variable climate that alternates between flooding and drought, explains Scott Wing, research geologist and curator of paleobotany at the National Museum of Natural History. — Anna Diamond, Smithsonian, 23 Aug. 2019 Investigators of the Great Maya Aquifer Project see the (re)discovery of Balamku as a chance to implement a totally new model of cave archaeology, one that employs cutting-edge technology and specialized fields such as 3-D mapping and paleobotany. — Gena Steffens, National Geographic, 4 Mar. 2019 But to squeeze a diverse set of practices that span cultural anthropology, paleobotany, and theoretical physics into a handful of steps is an inevitable distortion and, to be blunt, displays a serious poverty of imagination. — Daniel P. Thurs, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2015

Word History

Etymology

Noun

paleo- + botany

First Known Use

Noun

1872, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of paleobotany was in 1872

Rhymes for paleobotany

See All Rhymes for paleobotany

Browse Nearby Words

paleobotanist
paleobotany
Paleocene
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Paleobotany.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paleobotany. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on paleobotany

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about paleobotany

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