botaniste

Forms

botaniste m or f by sense (plural botanistes)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French botanique + -iste, the suffix replacing the ending ⟨-ique⟩.^[2][3][4][5] Botanique (1611) is from Ancient Greek βοτανικός (botanikós, “of herbs, of plants”),^[2][6][1] from βοτάνη (botánē, “plant, herb”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1676, in the Journal des savants, for a person who studies plants.^[7][6][2]

Semantic evolution

Its sense has stayed tied to that of botanique, the science of plants: a specialist or amateur of botany.^[6][8] Writers have also used it figuratively for an observer who classifies people as a botanist does plants, as Proust did with his “moral botanist” in 1922.^[8] Its neighbours botaniser (1801) and botaniquement (1816) came later.^[6]

Timeline

• 1676 – Botaniste appears in the Journal des savants.^[7][6]
• 1801 – The verb botaniser is recorded.^[6]
• 1922 – Proust speaks of a “moral botanist”.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A botanist, a specialist in botany; also anyone who studies plants.^{[8][5][9][10]}

Related words

• botanique
• botaniser
• Ancient Greek βοτάνη (botánē)

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
3. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)