Word of the Day -- Plantagenet

The recent discovery of the body of King Richard III, often listed him as the last "Plantagenet" king. It turns out this word has a very interesting past.

Plantagenet means "of or relating to a royal house ruling England from 1154 to 1485." The kings of England did not use surnames, but Plantagenet may have originated as a nickname for the French-born founder of the line, who planted shrubs to hide behind when hunting. The Latin name of the shrub was genista, and "plante-geneste" (roughly "shrub planter," in French) became the founder’s nickname.