Prunus
/ˈpruːnəs/noun
A genus of trees and shrubs that includes plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, and almonds.
Did you know?Prunus is the scientific name for a whole genus, but its root is tied to Latin prunum, “plum,” which traveled through Roman botanical naming into modern taxonomy.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
προῦμνον (proûmnon)
“plum or plum tree”
Latin
Latin
prunum
“plum”
Late Latin
Latin
Prunus
“plum tree; later a botanical genus name”
16th–18th Century
New Latin
Prunus
“scientific genus name for plums and related fruit trees”
Modern English
English
prunus
“the botanical genus containing plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, and almonds”