Arboriculturist or Arboriculturalist?

SteveBullman · Nov 14, 2005

ok i always thought it was arboriculturalist but apparently this word isnt in the dictionary, at least not mine, and its quite a substantial one. ive also checked online dictionaries and its in none of them. So is it actually a word or what!?!

Tom Dunlap · Nov 14, 2005

"Arbolist...look up the word. I don't know; maybe I made it up. Anyway, it's an arbo-tree-ist, somebody who know about trees."]

George W. "Bush" aka Shrub-As quoted in USA Today, 8-21-01

ROLLACOSTA · Nov 14, 2005

Well my Concise Oxford English Dictionary ''thumb index edition'' ..says 'ARBORICULTURIST'

treeseer · Nov 14, 2005

count on the brits to add superfluous syllables. Waht does "Arboriculturist" say that "Arborist" does not? As for the "al", that syllable has no place at all. Still some horticulturists call themselves horticulturalists. Maybe they think that sounds more knowledgeable.

SteveBullman · Nov 14, 2005

treeseer said:
count on the brits to add superfluous syllables. Waht does "Arboriculturist" say that "Arborist" does not?:

ok smart arse....what does horticulturist say that hortorist doesnt.

count on the yanks for coming out with stupid sentences

jamie · Nov 14, 2005

he he he he he he

my only response, yes a stoopid sentence

jamie

rfwoodvt · Nov 14, 2005

Now Now Gentlemen, Lets not get our panties in a bunch!

Arborist meaning one who studies and considers a tree as an individual.

Arboriculturist meaning one who studies and considers trees in, or as, a group.

Arboriculturalist meaning one who studies or promotes arboriculture in its own right.

Now, a Hortist...didn't he hear a who? :laugh:

treeseer · Nov 14, 2005

o come on steven I ain't dissin ya.

rick where'd ya get all that from? I'm all 3, as are the rest of us I guess, so those definitions get kinda confusin. We could be like W and just say arbolist tho.

Trignog · Nov 14, 2005

I prefer arbor-tree-ist.

rfwoodvt · Nov 14, 2005

Treeseer,

It was simple deduction my dear watson!

words ending in "IST" typically mean one who does or studies.

I simply took the work Arbor to mean tree and voila!

Then Arboriculture and TaDa! definition number 2

And finally Arboricultural, meaning "of arboriculture," and BAM! definition number 3.

I really think that depending on where you are in your life journing with trees, at any given time you could be one, two or all three.

On any given day I'm an Arboriculturalist as I am looking at the whole scene in our region to anticipate and appreciate the forest as a whole.

When I examine a client's property I slip in to Arboriculturist mode for that is where I am.

And when I'm getting intimate with a single tree (purely monogamous, mind you

) in an aerial mode then I'm an arborist.

So, when we don all caps at one time or another, what does that make us?

I settle for simply arborist as my clients have a hard enough time understanding that that word even exists.

rfwoodvt · Nov 14, 2005

So, was it Hortist that heard the who?

I suess-spect it was!

Trignog · Nov 14, 2005

My ex-girlfriend refered to arboriculture as arbortry.
When I tell people what I do they think I am a lumber jack, and they introduce me as a lumberjack, no offense to loggers,you don't use axes much anyway, but it is kind of embarassing trying to explain that I don't "chop" down trees with an ax, and that being an arborist is as different as the guy who mows your lawn comared to logging.

Anyway now I got that off my chest, r-bor-culture or r-bor-i-culture, I notice the more nerdy educated ones use the latter pronunciation as do I most the time, as I aspire to be nerdy and more educated about r-bor-i-culture.

Tom Dunlap · Nov 14, 2005

From Shigo:

We dont' say Par lee a ment why do we say arbor i culture?

I don't pronounce the "i" and have stopped spelling with it too.

Ekka · Nov 14, 2005

According to the infamous Gypo we are all Abhorists anyway. :dizzy:

SteveBullman · Nov 15, 2005

so does anyone actually have arboriculturalist in their dictionary then?

iain · Nov 15, 2005

call yourself what you like
were all, that fella who takes trees down with a chainsaw, to most of the public

treeseer · Nov 15, 2005

stephenbullman said:
so does anyone actually have arboriculturalist in their dictionary then?

no sb, the "al" should in any case be dropped, or there are duelling suffixes, no sense at all, think about it.

o and pronouncing it ar-BOR-i-culture makes the job sound like a BORE, which it is not.

John Paul Sanborn · Nov 15, 2005

Sp I should spell it R-brist?

Tom Dunlap · Nov 15, 2005

That's Dunl-AAAA-p to my friends

American version not Scottish

CJ-7 · Nov 15, 2005

You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think.

I still can't get that stupid phrase out of my head 35 years after sitting at a bus stop across from the Horticulture Building at Michigan State University watching the young ****** exit the building. You have to remember those were the days of micro skirts and boots.

Arboriculturist or Arboriculturalist?

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