Millettia
/mɪˈlɛt.i.ə/noun
A large genus of tropical and subtropical flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae.
Did you know?Millettia is a botanical honor-name rather than an ancient magical word, commemorating a person identified in early botanical sources as Millett or Millet.
Etymological Timeline
18th–19th Century
French
Millett/Millet
“A personal name associated with the person commemorated by the genus; the exact honoree is inconsistently identified in secondary sources.”
1834
Latin
Millettia
“Scientific genus name established by Robert Wight and George Arnott.”
19th Century
Botanical Latin
Millettia
“A genus of woody legumes, especially plants native to tropical and subtropical regions.”
Modern English
English
Millettia
“The accepted name of a plant genus in Fabaceae, including species formerly placed in related genera such as Pongamia.”