Antiaris

/ænˈtaɪərɪs/ noun

Definition

The botanical genus name for trees that produce the antiarin poison, particularly the Javanese upas tree.

Etymology

From the Malay 'antiar' with the Latin scientific suffix '-is' for genus names. Created in the 18th century when botanists formally classified these toxic trees using Latin nomenclature.

Kelly Says

When scientists give something a Latin scientific name like 'Antiaris javanica,' they're creating a universal language so botanists in Japan and Brazil can talk about exactly the same tree without translation problems.

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