'arugula' originates from Italian, specifically the word 'rucola', which itself is ultimately from Latin 'eruca' where 'eruca' meant 'a type of cabbage or cole'.

'arugula' changed from Italian 'rucola' (and related Italian dialectal forms such as 'ruchetta') and was influenced by French 'roquette', eventually entering modern English as 'arugula', especially in American usage.

Initially it referred broadly to a brassica-like plant ('cabbage/cole'), but over time it came to denote specifically the peppery salad green Eruca sativa used in cooking.