▪ I. herbary, n.
(ˈhɜːbərɪ)
[Strictly, three different words: ad. L. hebārius botanist, herbalist; herbārium, in late L. sense ‘collection of dried plants’, F. herbier, and med.L. sense, ‘collection of living herbs, place where herbs abound’, OF. erbier; L. herbāria (OF. herberie, erberie 13th c. in Godef.) botany. See herbarium.]
I. † 1. One skilled in herbs, a herbalist. Obs.
| 1548 Turner Names of Herbes 1 The commune names that Herbaries and Apotecaries use. 1565–73 Cooper Thesaurus, Cucumis siluestris,..called of harbaries Asininus. 1568 Turner Herbal iii. 80 The Herbaries of oure time saye that they are hote and dry. |
II. 2. A collection of dried plants, a herbarium.
| 1591 Percivall Sp. Dict., Erbolario, an herbarie, herbarium. 1810 E. D. Clarke Trav. Russia (1839) 68/1 Books filled with plants for our herbary. |
3. A place where herbs are grown; a garden of herbs or vegetables.
| 1634 Jackson Creed vii. Christ's Answ. § 87 Wks. VI. 478 The sweetest flowers that grow either in the prophetical or evangelical herbary. 1774 Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry xxviii. (1840) II. 413 note, An Herbary, for furnishing domestic medicines, always made a part of our ancient gardens. 1796 C. Marshall Garden. iii. (1813) 41 Let not pot herbs be forgot, but provide a general herbary in that part of the garden which is most contiguous to the kitchen. |
4. A treatise on herbs; a herbal. (nonce-use.)
| 1897 Dowden Fr. Lit. i. iii. 40 The earliest versified Bestiary, which is also a Volucrary, a Herbary, and a Lapidary. |
III. † 5. The science of herbs; botany. rare.
| 1627 Hakewill Apol. iii. viii. §1 (1630) 246 The two legges of Physicke are Anatomie and Herbarie. |
▪ II. † ˈherbary, a. Obs.
[ad. L. herbāria (ars): see herbarium.]
Relating to herbs; botanical. herbary art, botany.
| 1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden To Rdr., This Herbary Art hath since groaned under the defects of many unworthy Authors. |