galax

noun

ga·​lax ˈgā-ˌlaks 

: an evergreen herb (Galax urceolata synonym G. aphylla of the order Diapensiales) of the southeastern U.S. that has glossy leaves and is related to the heaths (order Ericales)

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, a genus name, of unexplained origin

Note: Introduced by linnaeus in Species plantarum (1753), vol. 1, p. 200, where no explanation of the name is given. There is no evident semantic or morphological connection with the Greek stems galakt- or galax-, from galakt-, gála "milk," or any semantic connection with the Greek noun gálax, "a kind of shellfish."

First Known Use

circa 1753, in the meaning defined above