Etymology Map
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Poinsettia

2 stages from Nahuatl to English.

Today it means a Mexican shrub with large red bracts, popular at Christmas

Where does the word "poinsettia" come from? It comes from Nahuatl cuetlaxōchitl, adopted directly into English (1836).

1
Stage 1 of 2
cuetlaxōchitl
Nahuatl · 1400s
"the poinsettia flower"
the Aztecs grew the flower for red dye and medicine
2
Stage 2 of 2
poinsettia
American English · 1836
"Christmas flower"
named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US minister to Mexico, who sent cuttings home to South Carolina in 1828; 12 December, the day he died, is Poinsettia Day
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Read the full story

Poinsettia’s story begins in Nahuatl: cuetlaxōchitl meant “the poinsettia flower.” The Aztecs grew the flower for red dye and medicine. It reached English by 1836 as poinsettia. Named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US minister to Mexico, who sent cuttings home to South Carolina in 1828; 12 December, the day he died, is Poinsettia Day. Today, poinsettia means a Mexican shrub with large red bracts, popular at Christmas.