Pyrus
/ˈpaɪrəs/noun
A genus of flowering plants in the rose family that includes pear trees.
Did you know?Carl Linnaeus established Pyrus as a botanical genus in 1753, Latinizing the ancient word for the pear tree.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἄπιον (ápion)
“Pear; often proposed as a possible source for the later Mediterranean pear terms, though the connection is uncertain.”
Classical Latin
Latin
pirus / pirum
“Pear tree or pear fruit.”
Late Latin
Latin
pyrus
“A Latinized form referring to the pear tree or its fruit.”
1753
Botanical Latin
Pyrus
“Linnaeus's genus name for pear trees and related plants.”
Modern English
English
Pyrus
“The scientific genus containing pears and several closely related species.”