herbaceous

herbaceous

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin herbāceus (“grassy”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /hə(ɹ)ˈbeɪ.ʃəs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /hɝˈbeɪ.ʃəs/
• Rhymes: -eɪʃəs

Adjective

herbaceous (comparative more herbaceous, superlative most herbaceous)

1. (botany) Not woody, lacking lignified tissues.
   • 1859, Shirley Hibberd, The Town Garden (page 53)

     […] and it contains a very good selection of shrubs and herbaceous plants, which, having good soil and plentiful drenchings of water from a garden-engine all the summer, thrive to admiration.

2. (wine) Not woody in flavor.
3. (dated) Feeding on herbs and soft plants.
   • 1861, Charles John Andersson, Lake Ngami, chapter XL, page 490

     The hippopotamus is an herbaceous animal.

Antonyms

• woody

Derived terms

• herbaceously
• herbaceousness
• nonherbaceous

 

Translations

botany: not woody

Breton: geotek (br) Catalan: herbaci (ca) Czech: nedřevnatý Danish: urteagtig Dutch: kruidachtig (nl) Finnish: ruohovartinen (fi) French: herbacé (fr) Galician: herbáceo (gl) German: krautig (de) Greek: ποώδης (el) (poódis), χορτώδης (chortódis) Italian: erbaceo (it) Maori: māotaota Polish: zielny (pl) Portuguese: herbáceo (pt) Romanian: erbaceu, ierbos (ro) Russian: травяно́й (ru) (travjanój), травяни́стый (ru) (travjanístyj) Spanish: herbáceo (es) Turkish: otsu (tr), otsul Welsh: llysieuol

dated: feeding on herbs and soft plants