Eugenia
/juːˈdʒiːniə/noun
A large genus of tropical and subtropical trees and shrubs in the myrtle family, also used as a feminine given name.
Did you know?The botanical genus Eugenia was named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of Prince Eugene of Savoy, while its deeper Greek root also produced modern words connected with birth and heredity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁eu-
“Good, well, favorable”
Ancient Greek
Greek
eu-
“Well or good; a positive prefix”
Ancient Greek
Greek
eugenēs
“Well-born, of noble birth; literally well-generated”
Late Antiquity
Greek/Latin
Eugenia
“A feminine form derived from Eugenios, meaning well-born”
18th Century
New Latin
Eugenia
“A plant genus named by Linnaeus in honor of Prince Eugene of Savoy”
Modern English
English
Eugenia
“The botanical genus, and a feminine personal name”