'abelmoschus' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'ḥabb al-misk', where 'ḥabb' meant 'seed' and 'al-misk' meant 'musk'.

'ḥabb al-misk' transformed into the Latin word 'abelmoschus', and eventually became the modern English word 'abelmoschus'.

Initially, it meant 'musk seed', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of a genus of plants.