Malus
/ˈmeɪ.ləs/noun
A genus of flowering trees in the rose family, including apples and crabapples.
Did you know?The Latin *malus* for the apple tree is etymologically separate from Latin *malus* meaning “bad,” though the coincidence has made apples feel charged with myth, temptation, and forbidden knowledge for centuries.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mel-
“to grind, crush, or make soft”
Latin
Latin
malus
“apple tree; apple”
Classical Latin
Latin
Malus
“the apple tree genus”
Modern English
English
Malus
“a genus of apples and crabapples”