English word origin

Etymology of hosta

Borrowed from translingual Hosta f, from Serbo-Croatian Host + translingual -a f. Named after Nicolaus Thomas Host, Croatian-Austrian botanist.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

Any of several herbaceous Asiatic plants of the genus Hosta.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from translingual Hosta f, from Serbo-Croatian Host + translingual -a f. Named after Nicolaus Thomas Host, Croatian-Austrian botanist.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionHostamul
Word-formation componentHostsh
Word-formation component-amul

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mul",
        "3": "Hosta",
        "g": "f"
      },
      "expansion": "translingual Hosta f"
    },
    {
      "name": "affix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Host",
        "3": "-a",
        "lang1": "sh",
        "lang2": "mul",
        "g2": "f"
      },
      "expansion": "Serbo-Croatian Host + translingual -a f"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Hosta",
      "Hosta#Translingual"
    ],
    [
      "Host",
      "Host#Serbo-Croatian"
    ],
    [
      "-a",
      "-a#Translingual"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any of several herbaceous Asiatic plants of the genus Hosta."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e369c3da63ef925829d6c9a10b5984b9a0f0594975a6e2213b22bf4d5469e35a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6a6f5b4578057565883e9595cf60b0246939b88c6a10f686a22e5c7a7f794a6c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 813315
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for hosta →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-aG9zdGE