Herbary

/ˈhɜːrberi/ noun

Definition

A collection of dried plants systematically arranged for study; a herbarium or botanical collection; also a book describing plants and herbs.

Etymology

From Latin 'herba' (plant) + '-ary' (place or collection suffix). Medieval scholars created herbaries both as pressed plant collections and as written herbals for medicine and identification.

Kelly Says

Medieval herbaries were like Pinterest boards made of actual plants—monks would press and arrange herbs with handwritten notes about their medicinal uses, creating both art and an early scientific reference system.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

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