herbaceous en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /hə(ɹ)ˈbeɪ.ʃəs/ (UK)
- /(h)ɝˈbeɪ.ʃəs/ (US)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *gʰer-dʰ? Latin herba Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂ks Proto-Italic *-āks Latin -āx Proto-Indo-European *-éyos Proto-Italic *-ejos Proto-Italic *-eos Latin -eus Latin -āceus Latin herbāceusbor. English herbaceous Borrowed from Latin herbāceus (“grassy”). By surface analysis, herb + -aceous.
Meanings
-
Not woody, lacking lignified tissues.
[…] 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.
1859, Shirley Hibberd, The Town Garden, page 53:Iversen holds that these changes indicate the arrival of farmers, the phase of Landnam or land occupation, that the charcoal comes from clearance fires; that herbaceous pollen suggests the opening-up of the land; cereals, fields; the plantains, weeds; and birch and hazel, regeneration of the forests after the exhaustion of the plot.
1958 [1946], Frederick E. Zeuner, Dating The Past: An Introduction To Geochronology, fourth edition, London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., pages 78-79:
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Not woody in flavor.
The sommelier noted strong herbaceous notes of thyme and lemongrass in the sauvignon blanc.
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(dated) Feeding on herbs and soft plants.
The hippopotamus is an herbaceous animal.
1861, Charles John Andersson, Lake Ngami, chapter XL, page 490:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most herbaceous | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more herbaceous | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
nonherbaceous · subherbaceous · herbaceously · herbaceousness
Translations (26)
nl kruidachtig (botany: not woody) · fi ruohovartinen (botany: not woody) · it erbaceo (botany: not woody) · br geotek (botany: not woody) · cmn 草本 (botany: not woody) · cy llysieuol (botany: not woody) · mi māotaota (botany: not woody) · ru травяно́й (botany: not woody) · da urteagtig (botany: not woody) · fr herbacé (botany: not woody) · ru травяни́стый (botany: not woody) · pl zielny (botany: not woody) · cs nedřevnatý (botany: not woody) · el ποώδης (botany: not woody) · pt herbáceo (botany: not woody) · de krautig (botany: not woody) · pl roślinożerny (dated: feeding on herbs and soft plants) · el χορτώδης (botany: not woody) · ro erbaceu (botany: not woody) · ca herbaci (botany: not woody) · gl herbáceo (botany: not woody) · tr otsu (botany: not woody) · bg тревист (botany: not woody) · es herbáceo (botany: not woody) · ro ierbos (botany: not woody) · tr otsul (botany: not woody)