'urucum' originates from Portuguese, specifically the word 'urucum', which itself comes from Tupi 'urukũ' (or variants), where 'urukũ' meant 'red (seed)' or referred to the annatto plant/seed.

'urukũ' (Tupi) was borrowed into Portuguese as 'urucum' and later entered English in the 18th–19th century as 'urucum', retaining reference to the annatto seed and dye.

Initially, it referred in Tupi to the red seed/annatto plant; over time the word kept that core sense in Portuguese and English, denoting both the plant and the red/orange pigment derived from its seeds.