'alyssum' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'alysson', where 'a-' meant 'without' and 'lyssa' meant 'rage' or 'madness'.

'alysson' transformed into the Latin word 'alyssum', and eventually became the modern English word 'alyssum'.

Initially, it referred to a plant believed to cure madness, but over time it evolved into its current meaning of a genus of flowering plants.