A genus of cockroaches; also used historically to refer to cockroaches in general in scientific and medical contexts.
From Latin 'blatta' meaning 'cockroach,' of uncertain ultimate origin. The word entered scientific nomenclature and became the taxonomic genus name for cockroaches.
Scientific names sometimes come from ancient languages—'blatta' is straight from Latin, which means Roman observers noticed cockroaches and named them! This genus name is used worldwide by entomologists studying these insects.
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