Sagopalm
/ˈseɪɡoʊˌpɑːm/noun
A cycad, especially Cycas revoluta, cultivated as an ornamental plant and sometimes called a sago palm despite not being a true palm.
Did you know?Sagopalm is not a true palm at all: cycads are an ancient seed-plant lineage that existed long before flowering plants became dominant.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Austronesian or early Malay
Malay
sagu
“Starchy material extracted from the trunks of certain palms and related plants”
16th Century
Malay/Portuguese
sago
“The edible starch known in Southeast Asian trade and adopted into European languages”
16th–17th Century
Latin
palma
“Palm of the hand; later, a palm tree, named for the hand-shaped leaves”
17th–18th Century
English
sago palm
“A plant associated with sago and resembling a palm, though not botanically a true palm”
Modern English
English
sagopalm
“A common name for cycads, especially the ornamental species Cycas revoluta”