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Help[Facts] Calla
I'm trying to figure out if the name for the Calla lily really is derived from the same root word as my name Callia, which is the Greek word καλλος (kallos), meaning "beauty". It sounds like it is but then on Merriam-Webster it says Calla is a modification of the Greek 'kallaia,' meaning a rooster's wattles (the rubber skin hanging from their necks). Is kallaia also a derivative of the root word kallos?
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No, it seems to be from Latin gallus, rooster. The name was invented in 1854 for the genus name of the Northern hemisphere calla, or marsh arum (it's related to the arums, but is not an arum. The calla lily is a related genus of African plants, which are no longer classified as callas, and are not lilies). Unfortunately it has nothing to do with Greek κάλλος (goodness, beauty), but is instead derived from καλλαια (cockscomb) from the resemblance of the berry cluster in texture and color. The Greek word seems derived from Latin gallus, rooster, and doesn't seem to be native. κάλλος appears in compounds as Καλλι-, with various accents, as in your name.
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