The genus of plants that includes the peanut or groundnut, native to South America.
From Greek, possibly borrowed from Dravidian languages of India. Linnaeus adopted this term in the 1750s as the scientific genus name for peanuts.
The scientific name 'Arachis hypogaea' (literally 'peanut underground-born') describes the plant's wild habit of pushing its flower stems into the soil to develop peanods—a genius adaptation!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.