CertainPlants & animals · Common

adelfa

oleanderarbusto venenoso de flores rosadas o blancas

Comes from Arabic

الدِّفْلَى

ad-diflā

“the oleander”«la adelfa»

In Andalusi Arabic: الدِّفْلَة ad-difla

Arabic today says

دِفْلَى

diflā

And it still does

The article

Spanish kept the Arabic article al- glued to the word.

Arabic itself had taken it from Greek.

The story

From Greek dáphnē, via Arabic ad-diflā with the sun letter d. It is the pink-flowered plant that lines highway medians.Del griego dáphnē, a través del árabe ad-diflā con la d solar. Es la planta de flores rosas que adorna las medianas de las autovías.