galax
noun
ga·lax ˈgā-ˌlaks 
: an evergreen herb (Galax urceolata synonym G. aphylla of the order Diapensiales) of the southeastern U.S. that has glossy leaves and is related to the heaths (order Ericales)
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin, a genus name, of unexplained origin
Note: Introduced by linnaeus in Species plantarum (1753), vol. 1, p. 200, where no explanation of the name is given. There is no evident semantic or morphological connection with the Greek stems galakt- or galax-, from galakt-, gála "milk," or any semantic connection with the Greek noun gálax, "a kind of shellfish."
First Known Use
circa 1753, in the meaning defined above