Yucca
/ˈjʌkə/noun
A genus of perennial plants with stiff, sword-shaped leaves and clusters of white flowers.
Did you know?The English word comes through Spanish from a Taino/Arawak name for a completely different plant, showing how Indigenous plant knowledge was often renamed as it moved into European languages.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian
Taíno
yuca
“A Caribbean root plant, especially cassava; the source term for the later Spanish word.”
16th Century
Spanish
yuca
“Cassava, the starchy root crop encountered in the Americas.”
17th Century
English
yucca
“A New World plant name borrowed into English, later applied to the ornamental desert genus.”
Modern English
English
yucca
“The common name for several species of the genus Yucca.”