Mizubasho
/ˌmiːzuˈbɑːʃoʊ/noun
A Japanese name, also used in English, for the skunk cabbage plant, especially Lysichiton camtschatcensis.
Did you know?The “banana” element refers to bashō, the Japanese banana plant; Mizubashō was named because its broad leaves resemble those of a banana, not because it bears bananas.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Japanese
Japanese
水 (mizu)
“Water”
Classical Japanese
Japanese
芭蕉 (bashō)
“Japanese banana or banana-like plant, written with characters borrowed through Chinese”
Medieval–Early Modern Japan
Japanese
水芭蕉 (mizubashō)
“Literally “water bashō”; the plant now identified as skunk cabbage”
19th–20th Century
Japanese
ミズバショウ / mizubashō
“Common Japanese name for Lysichiton camtschatcensis”
Modern English
English
mizubasho
“An English transliteration of the Japanese plant name, chiefly used in botanical or cultural contexts”
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