arboreal
adjective
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Head to the Forest to Define Arboreal
Arboreal took root in English in the 17th century, at a time when language influencers were eager to see English take on words from Latin and Greek. Apparently unsatisfied with the now-obsolete word treen (“of, relating to, or derived from trees”), they plucked arboreal from the Latin arboreus, meaning “of a tree”; its ultimate root is arbor, meaning “tree.” That root arborized—that is, branched freely (to use the term figuratively): English abounds with largely obscure words that trace back to arbor, meaning “tree.” Generally synonymous with arboreal are arboraceous, arborary, arboreous, and arborous. Synonymous with arboreal specifically in the sense of “relating to or resembling a tree” are arborescent, arboresque, arborical, and arboriform. Arboricole is a synonym of arboreal in its “inhabiting trees” sense. (The influencers may have overdone it a bit.) Arboreal is far more common than any of these, but other arbor words also have a firm hold in the language: arborvitae refers to a shrub whose name translates as “tree of life”; arboretum refers to a place where trees are cultivated; and arboriculture is the cultivation of trees. And of course we can't forget Arbor Day, which since 1872 has named a day set aside for planting trees. Despite its spelling, however, the English word arbor, which refers to a garden shelter of tree boughs or vines twined together, has a different source: it came by way of Anglo-French from the Latin herba, meaning “herb” or “grass.”
Examples of arboreal in a Sentence
Scott Travers, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
Strawberry tree is a moniker attached to two arboreal species.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 21 Feb. 2025
The best remains the fragrant and fruitful orange tree, the original arboreal icon that fetched newcomers here by the tens of thousands.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
For a while, maps showed both their numerical and arboreal names.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 3 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Arboreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arboreal. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
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arboreal
adjective
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