Hibiscus
/hɪˈbɪs.kəs/noun
A flowering plant in the mallow family, often with large colorful blossoms.
Did you know?Hibiscus comes from Greek hibiskos, the name of a marsh mallow-like plant, and its later scientific use helped lock an ancient plant word into modern botany.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
hibiskos
“A mallow-like plant, especially one growing in wet places.”
Latin
Latin
hibiscus
“A plant name borrowed from Greek and used in learned botanical writing.”
16th–17th Century
French/English
hibiscus
“Adopted in scholarly plant naming for species in the mallow family.”
Modern English
English
hibiscus
“A genus of flowering plants, many with large showy blossoms.”