plant native to Mexico and the southern U.S., by 1831, in a California context, from Mexican Spanish amole, name for various plant-roots used as detergents, from Nahuatl (Aztecan) amolli "soap-root."
"intentionally dwarfed potted tree," 1914, from Japanese, from bon "basin, pot" + sai "to plant."
"seed-capsule of a plant native to southern India and Ceylon," used in medicine and cookery, 1550s, from French cardamome, from Latin cardamomum, from Greek kardamomon, from kardamon "cress" (which is of unknown origin) + amomon "spice plant." The word was in English from late 14c. in Latin form.
modern plant genus, 1771, Latin, taken by botanists from Greek Silphion, the name of a North African Mediterranean plant whose identity has been lost, the gum or juice of which was prized by the ancients as a condiment and a medicine. Probably the word is ultimately of African origin.
"loud warning horn," 1908, originally on automobiles, said to have been named for the company that sold them (The Klaxon Company; distributor for Lovell-McConnell Manufacturing Co., Newark, New Jersey), but probably the company was named for the horn, from a made-up word likely based on Greek klazein "to roar," which is cognate with Latin clangere "to resound" (compare clang).
1860, coined by English inventor Frederick Walton (1837-1928), from Latin linum "flax, linen" (see linen) + oleum "oil" (see oil (n.)) and intended to indicate "linseed-oil cloth." Originally, a preparation of solidified linseed oil used to coat canvas for making floor coverings; the word was applied to the flooring material itself after 1878. The Linoleum Manufacturing Company was formed 1864.
