'aspidistra' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'Aspidistra', where 'aspid-' meant 'shield' (from Greek 'aspis') and the ending was a feminine/formative suffix used in botanical names.

'aspidistra' was adopted into botanical Latin from Greek 'aspidion' meaning 'little shield' (diminutive of 'aspis'), and later entered modern English as the scientific genus name 'Aspidistra'.

Initially it referred to a shield-like form (from the Greek root) used in the botanical name, and over time it came to denote the plant genus now commonly called the 'cast-iron plant'.