Castor Bean
/ˈkæs.tər biːn/noun
A tropical plant whose seeds yield castor oil and contain the highly poisonous toxin ricin.
Did you know?The name castor comes from Latin castor, “beaver,” because castor oil was associated with castoreum, a medicinal substance obtained from beavers’ scent glands.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhebhru-
“Brown animal; a reconstructed root associated with the beaver”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κάστωρ (kastōr)
“Beaver; also the mythological figure Castor”
Classical Latin
Latin
castor
“Beaver; the source of castoreum, a traditional medicinal secretion”
Old English
Old English
bēan
“Bean or pulse, from the Germanic name for the edible seed”
18th Century
English
castor bean
“The castor-oil plant and its seeds, named by combining castor with bean”
Modern English
English
castor bean
“Ricinus communis, or one of its seeds, used commercially to produce castor oil”