Ikebana
/ˌiː.kɪˈbɑː.nə/noun
The Japanese art of arranging flowers, branches, and other plant materials in a formal composition.
Did you know?Traditional ikebana developed in Buddhist temples, where floral offerings were arranged as symbolic communications between the human, natural, and sacred worlds.
Etymological Timeline
Old Japanese
Japanese
hana
“Flower or blossom”
8th Century
Japanese
ikeru
“To keep alive, make live, or arrange plant material”
6th–15th Centuries
Japanese
kuyōbana
“Flowers offered before Buddhist images”
15th Century
Japanese
rikka
“A formal standing-flower style developed in Buddhist contexts”
16th Century
Japanese
ikebana
“The practice of arranging living plant material”
19th–20th Centuries
English
ikebana
“The Japanese art of flower arrangement, adopted as an English loanword”
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