'annatto' originates from the Tupi language, specifically the word 'urucú,' where 'uru-' meant 'red' and '-cú' meant 'seed.'

'urucú' transformed into the Spanish word 'annatto,' and eventually became the modern English word 'annatto' through colonial trade and cultural exchange.

Initially, it meant 'red seed,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a natural dye and the tree it comes from.'