'foxglove' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'foxes glofa', where 'foxes' meant 'fox's' and 'glofa' meant 'glove'.

'foxes glofa' transformed into the Middle English word 'foxesglove', and eventually became the modern English word 'foxglove'.

Initially, it referred to the plant's flower resembling a glove that could fit a fox's paw, and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.