Did you know daisies mean "day's eye"? The stories behind 10 flower names

The names of the flowers blooming in gardens, parks, and shops carry centuries of linguistic history. Modern botanical taxonomies standardized plant classification, but everyday names were forged through visual observation, ancient mythology, and cultural trade. Exploring flower etymologies reveals how past generations perceived the natural world. Keep reading to discover the origin of the names of 10 common flowers.

The common bright yellow flower often dismissed as a lawn weed derives its name from an anatomical comparison. "Dandelion" enters English from the Anglo-French phrase dent-de-lion, which translates literally to "lion’s tooth".

Rather than referring to the yellow blossom, the name describes the plant’s sharp green leaves. Medieval botanists noted that these jagged edges of foliage closely resembled the sharp incisors of a lion. Similar literal translations exist in other languages, including the German Löwenzahn and the Spanish diente de león.

Derived from the Ancient Greek adjective azaleos, meaning "dry" or "parched", the azalea received its name from the pioneering Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century.

Linnaeus picked the name because this flower typically thrives in dry sandy soils and suffers when rooted in waterlogged ground. Though modern gardeners associate azaleas with damp spring rains and temperate woodlands, the name is a tribute to the plant’s preference for dry soil conditions.

The name of the garden pansy originates from the Middle French word pensée, meaning "thought" or "remembrance" (derived from the Latin verb pensare, meaning "to consider" or "to ponder").

During the Renaissance, herbalists felt the flower’s dark center and forward-facing petals resembled a human face bowed slightly forward in deep contemplation. Because of this association, pansies became traditional gifts to signal that the giver was thinking of the recipient, a symbolism later immortalized in Shakespeare’s Hamlet when Ophelia remarks, "there is pansies, that’s for thoughts".

The etymology of "carnation" follows two intertwined historical paths. The most widely accepted origin traces back to the Middle French carnation and the Latin carnatio (derived from caro, meaning "flesh"), referencing the soft pinkish flesh tone characteristic of the original wild blooms.

Another linguistic influence stems from "coronation". In ancient Greece and Rome, carnation blooms were woven into floral crowns (coronae) worn during ceremonial festivities and royal coronation rites. Over centuries of English usage, the terms for flesh color and ceremonial crowns merged into the modern word.

The story of the tulip’s name reflects the historical trade routes between Western Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century. The word comes into English via Middle French (tulipe) and Italian (tulipano), which adapted the Ottoman Turkish word tülbend (derived from the Persian dulband), meaning "turban".

European travelers visiting Constantinople were impressed by the resemblance between the folded layers of fabric in a traditional Ottoman turban and the cup-shaped, overlapping petals of the flower.

"Daisy" stands as an example of Old English botanical descriptive naming. Originating from the compound word dægesēage (literally translating to "day’s eye"), the name describes the flower’s natural sleep movement.

At nightfall, a daisy’s white outer petals fold inward over its central yellow disk. As dawn arrives, the petals unfold, exposing the golden center to the morning sun, mimicking an eye opening at the break of day.

Coined by French botanist Philibert Commerson in the 18th century, "hydrangea" combines two ancient Greek roots: hydr- (meaning "water") and angeion (meaning "vessel", "picher", or "capsule").

Many gardeners assume the name refers to the plant’s high water requirements; however, it actually describes the distinct shape of the plant’s mature seed pods. Once the colorful petals drop, the small seed capsules resemble traditional Greek water jars or pitchers.

Popularly known as pot marigold, "calendula" derives its name from the Medieval Latin calendula, a diminutive form of calendar (the "calends", or the first day of each month in the Roman calendar).

The Romans observed that in mild Mediterranean climates, calendula plants bloomed on or near the first day of almost every month of the year. This way, the name acts as a botanical calendar.

The word "petunia" arrived in European languages during the 18th century through French botanical reports from South America. French herbalists adapted the word pétun, an early French term for tobacco borrowed from petyn, a word used by the indigenous Tupi-Guarani peoples of Brazil.

When early European explorers encountered petunias growing wild in South America, they recognized their close physical resemblance to tobacco plants. Modern taxonomy confirmed this intuition: both petunias and tobacco belong to the nightshade family (Solanaceae).

Named after Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow and divine messenger between heaven and earth, this classic garden perennial boasts an ancient name.

In Greek mythology, the goddess Iris traveled along rainbows, connecting the realms of gods and mortals. Ancient botanists bestowed her name upon the flower because of its remarkable spectrum of natural colors, ranging from deep purple and cobalt blue to yellow, pink, and white.

Do you have a favorite weird brand name?

Yahoo!, Kodak & beyond: Odd brand names and their origins

Image: Alexander Shatov

Some brand names are more straightforward than others. Some are named after their founders or places of origin, some are a description of their products, and others are simply words that sounded right to the people who created them. The following 10 are examples of brand names that, when taken out of their context, sound simply odd. What does Haribo mean? And what about Garmin? These words, now ubiquitous, don’t seem to describe the product they represent but still, are part of our daily lives. Did you know any of their stories?

Image: Jaimie Harmsen

An unusual name when it was presented and now, Yahoo! comes from the book "Gulliver’s Travels" where the word was used to refer to unsophisticated youths. Of course, the founders weren’t trying to define its users this way, they just liked how the name sounded, particularly with the added exclamation mark.

While this name is certainly odd, it’s memorable and rolls easily off the tongue, making it a good choice for a tech brand. And, like all the following entries on this list, has become a household word, making it much more acceptable to everyone.

Image: britt gaiser

Kodak is an example of a made-up name that doesn’t appear to have a lot of meaning at first glance. When coming up with the brand name, George Eastman, the founder, concentrated a lot of his attention on the letter "K", which he considered to be a particularly strong-sounding one.

As he said: "I devised the name myself. It became a question of trying out a great number of combinations of letters that made words start and end with 'K.' The word 'Kodak' is the result." Eastman also selected Kodak's distinctive yellow trade dress, which is widely known throughout the world.

Image: Markus Clemens

Reebok has a weird name for a sports-focused brand. According to the company, the name comes from the word "Rhebok", which is a kind of African antelope. The founders liked the word, which they found in a South African dictionary, and felt it was a compelling term to use for their own business. After a slight wording change, the now-famous brand was born.

Since the antelope is a creature often connected with speed, it makes a lot of sense for an athletics brand. Since then, the word has been showcased everywhere.

Image: Centre for Ageing Better

Xerox is a strange word, and it sounds unusual when spoken out loud. But, there’s some deeper meaning to this title. It means "dry writing" when translated from Greek and refers to the unique process of printing created by the Xerox company.

As it turns out, Joseph C. Wilson, who is credited as the "founder of Xerox", was looking for a term to differentiate its new system, hired a Greek scholar at Ohio State University, and coined the term xerography, which in turn, became the root of the name we now today.

Image: Alexander Shatov

At first, Twitter was going to be called "Twitch" and then "Status." But neither of those names seemed to fit the bill. After consulting the Thesaurus, the founder, Jack Dorsey, and his team came up with the name "Twitter," meaning a short statement of inconsequential content, never imagining that sitting US presidents would one day use his app as a political platform.

After the company exchanged hands, the name was changed to "X" but most people still refer to it by its old name and even call the postings, "twits".

Image: Christian Wiediger

Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder, wanted the name "Cadabra" for his online bookstore, as in Abracadabra. But when his lawyer heard the name and said that it reminded him of cadaver, the term was shelved. After that, Bezos decided to go with Amazon because words that began with the letter "A" were the first to appear in the old internet directories. And, apparently, he liked the word "Amazon".

It might seem hard to believe that the behemoth company that Amazon is today started on such a whimsical note, but it did.

Image: Egor Myznik

A portmanteau is a word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others, like "motel", which is the combination of mobile and hotel, or brunch, which combines breakfast and lunch. Well, the story of Garmin’s name is somewhere along those lines.

This popular GPS brand’s name is a portmanteau that combines the names of the two company’s founders: Gary Burrell and Dr. Min Kao (Gar-min). It might sound like a bit of a lazy strategy for naming such an important company but, in the end, it worked.

Image: Alexas_Fotos

The second portmanteau on this list corresponds to another odd name: Haribo. One of the world’s best-known sweets brand’s name is a mash-up between the company’s founder and its headquarters. Hans Riegel is the man who founded the company and Bonn is Haribo’s hometown.

Some people even go as far as saying that the name reminds them of an Asian confectionery of some kind, but, as we know now, its origins are very much European because there are not many names as German as Hans, right?

Image: WikimediaImages

The third and final portmanteau on this list corresponds to another hugely popular company that manufactures the beloved Oreo cookies. The National Biscuit Company transformed its name into a mash-up of its old name: Na-Bis-Co.

The first use of the name Nabisco was in a cracker brand produced by the National Biscuit Company in 1901 and maybe it is because we have heard and read this name so much and it has become a household word but Nabisco does sound like a cookie or at least, a food company, doesn’t it?

Image: Dylan Ferreira

As it is common knowledge, Europeans make great ice cream. Therefore, a complicated and European-sounding name can be aptly associated with delicious ice cream, right? Reuben and Rose Mattus thought exactly that in the 1960s, as they wanted their business name to convey an aura of tradition and craftsmanship.

Häagen-Dazs is an invented pseudo-Scandinavian phrase coined in a quest for a brand name that sounded Danish. However, the company's pronunciation of the name ignores the letters "ä" and "s", and letters like "ä" or digraphs like "zs" do not exist in the Danish language.