horticulture

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- Proto-Indo-European *gʰórtos Proto-Italic *hortos Latin hortus Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁- Proto-Indo-European *kʷélh₁-e-ti Proto-Italic *kʷelō Latin colō Proto-Indo-European *-tew-? Proto-Indo-European *-r-eh₂? Latin -tūra Latin cultūrader. Middle French cultureder. English culture English horticulture 17th century, from the Latin word hortus (“garden”) + culture (on the model of agriculture). By surface analysis, horti- + cult + -ure.

1. The art or science of cultivating gardens; gardening.

   “Let any one compare the fruit of one of the largest varieties exhibited at our Shows with that of the wild wood strawberry, or, which will be a fairer comparison, with the somewhat larger fruit of the wild American Virginian Strawberry, and he will see what prodigies horticulture has effected.”

2. Small-scale agriculture.