herbaceous

/hɜːˈbeɪʃəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ɜːrˈbeɪʃəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌ(h)ər-ˈbā-shəs/ (ame, mw)

herbaceous — adjective

  • herbaceouspositive
  • more herbaceouscomparative
  • most herbaceoussuperlative

1. describing a plant whose stems stay green and bendy instead of turning into wood

1.形容詞C2
釋義

describing a plant whose stems stay green and bendy instead of turning into wood, and which usually dies back to the ground at the end of each growing season

例句

Samir planted a row of herbaceous perennials along the garden path last spring.

collocation: herbaceous perennials

Most kitchen herbs like basil and parsley are herbaceous plants that need replanting each year.

predicative use: are herbaceous plants

同義詞
  • non-woody

    plain descriptive opposite of 'woody'; used in textbooks rather than gardening talk

  • leafy

    everyday word; broader, covers any plant with lots of leaves, not specifically the soft-stem meaning

  • succulent

    specifically soft AND fleshy/water-storing; narrower than herbaceous

反義詞
  • woody

    direct technical opposite — stems harden into wood, like trees and shrubs

  • ligneous

    formal botanical term for 'woody'; mostly used in scientific writing

文法句型

herbaceous + [plant noun]

be + herbaceous

用法筆記

Almost always attached to a plant-related noun (perennial, border, plant, stem, shoot). Outside gardening and botany contexts the word is rare; everyday English uses 'leafy' or simply 'plant' instead.

常見錯誤

❌The herbaceous tree grew quickly in the park.
✅The leafy tree grew quickly in the park.
💡trees have woody trunks, so they are not herbaceous; the word applies only to soft-stemmed plants.