Horticulture is rich with language — words that help us describe plants, landscapes, and the natural world with precision and sometimes a bit of poetry. Many horticultural terms have deep historical roots, evolving over centuries alongside our understanding of plants and gardens. Learning these terms not only strengthens our ability to communicate clearly as gardeners and educators, but also connects us to the cultural and literary traditions that have shaped how we talk about nature.
Occasionally, we like to explore a word that captures the spirit of the landscape in a unique way — whether it’s a technical term or a lesser-known gem from the horticultural lexicon. This month’s word is one of those delightful discoveries.
Bosky, \ba-ski\ adj 1. Having abundant trees or shrubs 2. Of or relating to a woods.
This arcane word is a variant of the term bosk or busk meaning “shrub” in Middle English. The first known use of the word is in 1616. It is mostly seen in literary works with the refined meaning of “a small wooded area” or a shadowed area. Slang meanings for “bosky” also began to appear at about the same time.
Two recent examples from the Web include:
“In a bosky corner of Blumenholz, the property that adjoins my family’s Blumenhagen lie six war graves from 1945; Germans, Russians, and one unknown.” Sigrid MacRae, Harper’s, 16 Mar, 2021.
“There’s the prickling sense reading Macfarlane like Dyer, that a library door or a manhole cover or a bosky path might lead you not just to the end of a chapter but to a drugs party or a rave.” Dwight Garner, New York Times, 3 June, 2019.
As with many words, bosky has developed a list of slang meanings, most of which seem far from the original meaning. The most common use of the term is synonymous with “drunk” or “muddled,” likely in reference to “thicket” or wild. Of course, the Internet has purloined this horticultural term to mean many geeky and obscene terms: English pronunciation of a polish word “boski” meaning “godlike” (especially Internet super nerds), a derogatory reference to “ginger haired” folks, “sketchy” or “weird,” and several sexual connotations not appropriate to reference. See this site for more bosky slang fun.
Now you know this horticultural term as a romantic literary word, rare in its use but beautiful in its descriptive possibilities. And as an added plus, you are aware of the word’s more perverse meanings in the current Internet world. Context is everything.
Cheryl Carmichael, UC Master Gardener