Arboraceous

/ˌɑɹbɔˈreɪʃəs/ adjective

Definition

Relating to, having the characteristics of, or resembling trees or woody plants.

Etymology

From Latin arbor (tree) plus the suffix -aceous (having the qualities of), which comes from Latin -āceus. This suffix is used in botanical and scientific terminology to describe characteristics.

Kelly Says

The -aceous suffix appears in dozens of botanical terms: herbaceous, rosaceous, cretaceous. Scientists use it to classify plants into families based on shared features. It's like a linguistic filing system that lets naturalists instantly communicate what something is related to.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.