ikebana

Where does the word "ikebana" come from? It comes from Japanese ikeru + hana, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Ikebana’s story begins in Japanese: ikeru + hana meant “living flowers.” Combining "ikeru" (to keep alive, arrange) and "hana" (flower). It reached English by 1900s as ikebana. Japanese 'living flowers'; the Ikenobō school dates from the 1400s. Today, ikebana means the Japanese art of arranging flowers in a formal, minimalist style.

1. Stage 1 · Japanese · medieval ikeru + hana "living flowers", combining "ikeru" (to keep alive, arrange) and "hana" (flower).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s ikebana "the Japanese art of flower arrangement", Japanese 'living flowers'; the Ikenobō school dates from the 1400s.